Her Life and Other Tragedies
by Nevertoomany
Summary: Each chapter is a different story about my OC, the Winchester's baby half-sister Carter. POV can vary, mostly third person. Sis!fic and some fluff, some wee!chesters
1. Introduction

Character: Carter Winchester

Nicknames: "Car", "Pipsqueak"

Eyes: Brown

Hair: Brown, curly

Family: John, Annmarie Jinks (Mother), Sam, Dean (half siblings)

Notes: Annmarie had a one night stand with John and she got pregnant. She died during childbirth and beforehand she wrote a note saying that in case of her death, she wanted her child to go to John. Carter went to live with John at two months old (Dean 13, Sam 9). Carter often went to stay with Bobby when Dean, John, and/or Sam went on hunts. When older, Carter took classes to become a teacher; she eventually left Sam and Dean to get a teaching job. When older, she couldn't settle down enough to have kids or get serious with her boyfriend. The reason being that she didn't want them to have any glimpses of hunting, if they should show up.


	2. 3:28 AM

I wish Supernatural belonged to me, but alas it doesn't. I'm merely borrowing the characters.

Ages:

Dean: 13

Sam:9

Carter: 4 months

* * *

3:28 am

The clock silhouetted against the dark room. A train rumbled on the tracks outside the motel and legs kicked softly in sheets. Dean blinked a couple times and flicked Sam's hand from his face. The kid snored close to Dean, making him smile; Sam had gradually scooted closer to Dean throughout the night, eventually pushing Dean to the end of the bed.

Carter's legs kicked softly in the sheets, alerting Dean to her presence. A soft coo overcame her and made her laugh. She grabbed her feet and stared up at the ceiling. Her smile grew bigger as her big brother Dean came into view. Forgetting her feet, her hands reached up to Dean's face.

Dean smiled softly, placing his body on the bed and holding Carter's hands in his. "You're happy, huh?" Dean said, gazing at his baby sister. "I don't know why you'd be happy this early in the morning." Sam flipped over onto his stomach, pulling his arms into himself. "Sammy's a deep sleeper, isn't he, Carter?" Carter smiled, showing her bare gums, and strained her head towards Sam.

Dean let go of her hands and pulled her blanket back up. He laid down next to her and gazed at the ceiling. "It's time to go to bed, Carter," Dean said after Carter's hand smacked him in his face. "If I sing, will you go to sleep?" He asked, turning his head to look at her. She stared back at him and cooed.

Dean began, "My mom used to sing this to me when I couldn't sleep." He licked his lips, " _Hey Jude, don't be afraid. Take a sad song and make it better. Remember, to let her into your heart, then you can start to make it better._ "

Dean looked over and noticed Carter was asleep. He smiled and crawled back to his own bed with suction-cup-Sammy.

* * *

Thanks for reading! More chapters could be added in a couple days as I'm working on a few more.


	3. Some Harsh Words, Dear Winchester

Warning: Mention of a broken nose (I've never broken my nose before, nor have I seen one broken, so I apologize for anything that isn't accurate)

Ages:

Dean: 28

Sam: 24

Carter: 15

Takes place during season 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural!

Author's Note: I'm not really sure where this idea came from, it just kinda popped up. Enjoy!

* * *

She should've just shut up. She should've just stopped with her last statement. Maybe then she wouldn't have a broken nose.

But, no. And had to keep talking. She had to keep pushing Carter, making her face redder and redder with anger. Now they were both sitting outside the principal's office with sour glums on their faces.

Carter sat slumped in her seat, picking at her sore knuckles. She chewed on her lip and watched students walk by on their way back to class. Due to the lack of chairs, broken-nose Kate sat just three seats down from her, dabbing at her tears and holding an ice pack to her nose. Luckily she wasn't sniffling anymore.

Carter sat up straight when she heard Sam walk through the front door, earning a curious glare from Kate. Sam wore his suit, which made Carter even more nervous. If she ever interrupted her brother during one of their cases, she was always in even more trouble. Sam cleared his throat and walked into the office.

Carter relaxed only slightly, realizing she was really glad that Dean wasn't there. Dean always was harder on Carter, telling her she needs to stop getting in fights and in trouble in general, that there were far worse things to beat people up over.

Sam came back out a minute later, an unreadable expression on his face as he sat down on the chair closest to Carter, in between Kate and her. "Let me see," he said in his soft voice and Carter showed him her knuckles. He turned them over and sighed, dropping them. "You'll live."

Carter pulled back her hands and watched as a couple came storming in, the woman rushing to Kate, sitting down in the last chair, and the man going into the office after a look at Kate. The woman, who must be Kate's mother, fussed over her and kept saying, "poor baby, my poor baby." Carter rolled her eyes and turned to Sam.

"Why didn't Dean come?"

Sam had pulled out his phone and was glaring at the screen. He sighed," We were on our way to interview the victims. Dean got the call and I convinced him to let me go."

"Seriously?"

Sam smiled, "He also heard there would be a hot girl ther." Sam chuckled and Carter smiled.

Kate's father came back out and stood by his daughter, acting as though he was protecting her from everyone even remotely dangerous. Carter huffed. The door to the office opened and the secretary walked out.

"Principal Hart will see you now."

They all stood up and headed towards his office.

Carter had met Principal Hart only once in her two weeks being at this school. He was a plump, short, odd old man, hell-bent on making his school exactly the way he wanted it to be. Whether he would ever succeed was obvious; there was no way in hell the school was getting anything he said.

Principal Hart sat at his desk and gestured for the two teens to sit in the main chairs in front of him, and that left the adults grasping for the plastic chairs. "What injuries were sustained?" Principal Hart asked, looking right at Kate.

" _She_ ," Kate emphasized, and it was evident everyone knew she wanted to insult Carter in front of everyone, "broke my nose."

Principal Hart turned towards Carter, "Do you deny this?"

Carter looked at Kate's partially covered nose, examining her work, "Nah, I did it." Kate's parents glared at Carter. Carter leaned back in her chair.

"Alright, tell me what happened."

* * *

 _Earlier_

Carter fixed the strap on her backpack and walked at a slow pace to her next class, Algebra. She had exactly four minutes to get from one side of the school to the other. But with all of the hallway traffic and slow walkers, Carter could just barely make it in time. So why rush? She usually blamed her lateness on getting lost; being new all the time allowed her this little luxury.

As Carter passed by a group of girls at their lockers, she heard them say her name. She turned and raised her eyebrows, "What?"

Kate shrugged her shoulders, "I didn't say anything." Carter turned and started to walk away. "Except that your clothes look like they were pulled out of the trash." Carter stopped and turned back to see Kate and her friends laughing.

"Ha ha, hilarious. Haven't heard that one before," Carter rolled her eyes.

Kate stepped forward and stood before Carter. "You're right, I'm sorry," Kate apologized, though not sounding apologetic at all. "It's cruel of me to say such things when you're going through such hard times."

"What are you talking about?" Carter asked cautiously.

"Well, your father of course," Kate took a glance at her friends, "I heard he's some Satan worshipping freak."

"Excuse me?" Carter retorted, locking her jaw and holding herself back from murdering the poor girl.

"I mean, it all kind of makes sense. Your clothes, your fucked up brain; you're from a completely fucked up, neurotic family." Kate smiled and flipped her hair out of her face. A small crowd had formed around the girls. "Wouldn't surprise me if you all end up dead in a ditch somewhere."

Carter didn't even have to stop and think about what she was doing; her fist just collided with Kate's face, breaking her nose and splattering blood droplets. Kate immediately burst into tears, clutching her nose and turning to her friends. A teacher rounded the group and ordered both of the girls to the principal's office.

* * *

Before Kate could pull up her lie, Carter called out, "Kate was insulting me. She said my clothes looked like they were from the trash, that I have a fucked up brain and family, and that my father is quote 'a Satan worshipping freak'." Carter took a deep breath and looked at Kate. "Which is completely ridiculous because my dad has been dead for two years now." Carter sat back in her seat, her arms folded, and stared at a spot on the wall behind Principal Hart's desk.

"My Kate would never say that!" Kate's mom announced.

Principal Hart held up his hand to silence her. "Kate, can you tell us what you think happened?"

Kate sat up in her seat and pulled back the ice pack. A bandage laid across the bridge of her nose. "Well, I was just grabbing my books, minding my own business, when Carter walked up and invited herself into our conversation. She said a bunch of horrible things to me, then just broke my nose for no reason!"

Carter locked her jaw and kept on staring at the wall. She certainly expected Kate to lie.

"You girls gave me two conflicting stories here, does either of you wish to change their story?" Principal Hart asked as has lifted up a disk. Neither of the girls changed. "Alright, why don't we watch and see?" He placed the disk in the computer and turned the screen so we all could see. "We had video cameras installed in all the hallways. Unfortunately, it doesn't have sound."

The recording played out, just as Carter explained. When it finished, everyone turned to Kate. "Well, it would appear that you told a lie, Kate," Principal Hart announced and pulled out a pad of paper. "Do you have anything to say?"

Kate placed the ice pack back on her nose and looked down, mumbling a "no."

"I'm giving you three after school detentions on account of your name calling. And Carter, you're being put on suspension for three days due to your physical abuse towards Kate. We have a no tolerance policy towards physical abuse, so that will be the best I can do for you," Principal Hart doled out and Carter's jaw dropped slightly. But she quickly snapped it shut and mumbled a "yes, sir." Principal Hart filled out the forms and typed a few things into his computer. Kate's mom was caressing her arm and her father was stone silent. Sam stared at his phone and quickly typed a response. He showed Carter the text from Dean stating they were hunting a ghost and he knew which one. If all went well, they both knew they'd be leaving by the morning.

Principal Hart turned back to the two families, "Any questions?" He handed the detention slips to Kate.

Sam cleared his throat and sat up. "Actually, Carter won't be attending this school anymore after her suspension is up," he said, and as an afterthought added, "We're leaving town."

"Is it because of the fight? You've only been at this school for a mere two weeks," Principal Hart asked, shocked.

Sam shook his head, "No, for family reasons. We never planned on staying long anyway."

Principal Hart looked both relieved that Carter was leaving and shocked by her departure. In all his years of being a principal, he'd never seen a family stay for such a short time. Sure, some kids stayed for only a month or two, but never for only two weeks. Sadly, he thought maybe that was why her file stated so many fights and disturbances, why it was so thick.

"Well," Principal Hart stated, "it was nice having you as a student here, even though it was short lived. A bit of advice I'd keep in mind if I were you is to stay out of trouble. You already have quite a thick file."

"Yes, sir," Carter stated softly.

"Kate," Principal Hart announced, "I'll see you in detention tomorrow after school. Good day, ladies."

Everyone stood up and grabbed their things. Carter and Sam were out the door first, followed by Kate and her parents. Kate's family didn't spare a glance at the Winchesters before they left out the main door towards home. The Winchesters followed slowly after, Sam texting Dean as he went.

"Am I in trouble?" Carter asked, regretfully.

Sam looked at his baby sister, her eyes staring sadly into his. He saw her innocence, her fragility and power at the same time. He knew she could stand to hear everything everyone thought about her, all the bad and scary, but it was still a moral breaker. He was a kid once, too. He heard all of the same words and punches. He wished she didn't have to hear it all, but there wasn't much he could do about it.

"She really say all those things to you?"

Carter nodded, "She expected to see our family dead in a ditch somewhere."

They waited on the curb for the purr of the impala; Sam towering gently over Carter. Dead leaves scattered themselves across the road, farther and farther with each gust of wind.

"Nah, I don't think you deserve to be in trouble," Sam finally decided. Carter looked up at him with a grand smile, one that shows all of her teeth and tongue. "But I do think I have to give you some kind of punishment for interrupting the case." Carter's shoulders slumped; Sam put his arm around her and pulled her into his side. "How about you be on research duty for the rest of this case?"

Carter looked up at him quizzically. "Isn't the case over, though?"

Sam shrugged with a smile, "Then I guess your punishment is over. Did you learn your lesson?" He was fully smiling by now.

Carter smiled back, "Definitely." She threw both arms around Sam and hugged him tightly. "Thanks, Sam."

"No problem, kiddo."

The familiar hum of the family car filled the parking lot. Dean pulled in, old rock music spilling from the car. Dean and Carter pulled apart and piled in; Sam in the passenger seat and Carter in the back, their respective seats. Dean didn't ask about the fight, didn't ask about anything that happened; Sam eventually told him later that night as they walked back from the graveyard. The older brother never judged and all three of them wiped the fight from their memories, as if it never happened.

* * *

Thanks for reading, all! I wasn't sure when I would have been able to post this chapter and I'm not quite sure when more chapters will be posted. I have an idea for the next chapter, but it might take me awhile to write. But, until then!


	4. A Vampire for the Outcast

Hello all! I got distracted with the story I was originally going to make for this chapter, and ended up writing this piece. Hope you all enjoy!

Ages:

Dean:30

Sam: 26

Carter: 17

Takes place somewhere in season 5

Disclaimer: I unfortunately don't own the Winchester boys.

Warning: Mention of decapitation

* * *

Carter sulked into first period. That morning, Dean had told her they had heard of a nest of vamps were hanging on the outskirts of town. The one thing Carter hated most was vampires. She found it revolting that they drank blood and had to keep their victims alive to do so. Every time her brothers had to wipe out a nest, she seemed to make herself scarce. And after awhile, her brothers started to notice and stopped asking for her help with them.

Carter sat down next to her current friends. All five of them were talking animatedly about woods, campfires, and some supposed camping trip. When Carter came to this school, she was hit with a gush of thinking it would be impossible to make any friends here. She started in October and everyone already had their best friend and group of friends. When she tried to talk to some people, they shut her out and talked about her behind her back. She gave up after that; it wasn't the first school this had happened in. It wasn't until the end of the first week when Carter got put into a group with the girls for a class discussion. The girls, Maria, Kate, Nora, Willie, and Stella, quickly accepted Carter, much to her surprise. They talked a lot over the weekend and hung out whenever they could during school. By the end of the second week, Carter had started to like the school and begged Dean to stay awhile.

"Hey, guys," Carter announced, putting the thought of vampires out of her head.

Their chorus of "hellos" and "heys" was interrupted by Stella turning towards Carter with a big smile.

"Carter! We have good news!" Stella called. "We can bring another person on our camping trip!"

Carter raised her eyebrows in confusion, "What camping trip?"

"Every year since we were little, our parents brought us on a camping trip in the woods," Kate explained, moving her long, black hair out of her face. "The last two years, we were allowed to go without adults."

"And we got new tents, so now we can fit six people," Nora added.

Carter stared in slight shock, "And you want me to go?" She had never been invited to do anything like this. The most she hung out with friends was going to eat or watching movies at their houses. Not to mention, Carter had never been true camping before. Sure, she'd been in cabins in some woods, but they were always old hunter's cabins. Which meant they were filled with lore books and loose salt.

"Of course we want you to go! You're our friend!" Stella responded.

A smile spread across Carter's lips and she shrugged, "Sure, I'll go. I just have to ask my brother if it's okay."

The first period bell rang and the teacher strolled in, ending their conversation. Carter turned and faced the board, but couldn't stop thinking about the trip. She couldn't wait to roast marshmallows by the fire and tell ghost stories. She couldn't wait to fall asleep listening to the birds and crickets. She couldn't wait to do normal, teenaged things for once.

All thoughts of vampires had vanished.

* * *

As soon as Carter heard the Impala's purr at the end of the day, she took off down the school steps with a big smile. All day, her thoughts marathoned about the camping trip and how normal it made her feel. For once in her life she could be normal, she caroled. She climbed into the passenger seat and dimmed her smile as Dean took off towards the motel. After a few minutes of just rock music, Dean turned it off and glanced at his sister.

"Alright, what's going on? You're never this happy after school," Dean asked, turning into the motel parking lot.

Carter took a deep breath as Dean parked the car. "Okay, you know those friends I've been hanging out with?" Dean thought for a minute, then nodded his head; they both got out of the car and headed towards their room. "Well, they invited me to go with them on their camping trip this weekend." During Carter's lunch, they had given her the rundown of when it would be happening, where, and for how long.

"Camping trip?" Dean asked with a shocked expression. He opened the motel door walked in. "With vamps running around? No way."

Carter shut the door and dropped her bag on the floor. "Dean, please? I never get invited to go anywhere; this is my chance to be normal!" Dean stopped rifling through papers on the table, his back still to Carter. "Are you going to rob me the chance to be normal, Dean?"

Dean spun around and looked his sister in her eyes, "And what about the vamps? Huh? We've got bupkis on their nest. They could be hiding in the woods, waiting to take the next campers."

"Well, then I _have_ to go to protect my friends. I could be their only hope of surviving!"

Sam sat at the table and gave side glances at their conversation. As they both lulled and stared daringly at each other, Sam spoke up, "I think you should let her go, Dean." Dean glared at him. "Look, I talked to Carter about this during her lunch and I think it's a good idea. I mean, we don't even know for sure that the nest is in the woods. They could be in some barn we haven't checked yet."

Carter paused, "They're going with or without me."

Dean sighed and grabbed a beer from the fridge. He took a drink and turned to Carter. "Fine, you can go. But I better be on speed dial if you run into trouble."

Carter smiled wide and grasped Dean around his waist in a hug. "Thank you so much, Dean! You won't regret it."

"No problem, kiddo."

She turned and gave Sam a hug too, thanking him for being on her side. She then took out her phone and happily texted her friends that she could go.

* * *

The weekend could not have come any faster for Carter. Her brothers thrust themselves into their work, using all their time to try to locate the vampires' nest. But they still couldn't find it. They checked almost all the abandoned properties and some of the larger owned properties; It was wearing the boys down. They had to turn to the fact that the vamps were living in the woods. At first, Dean called that Carter wasn't going on the trip. Even though the woods was big, there was still a chance they could camp right near them. But Carter reminded him that her friends were still going and that she needed to protect them. And thus the camping trip would continue.

Dean pulled up to the trail's entrance, parking near a group of girls. All five of them were crowding around a bench, bags stuffed at their feet. Some adults crowded them too, a few frantic over what they packed and if they had everything. Dean sighed and climbed out of the driver's seat, Carter copying his movements from the passenger seat. Carter pulled on her backpack and they both walked to the trunk, Dean opening it as he looked around. The oldest Winchester pulled at his sister's duffel and handed it to her, looking around once more before opening the false bottom. He grabbed a long knife and handed it to her.

"Take the knife in case you run into vamps," he said and Carter hid it in her inside coat pocket. Dean then grabbed a gun and handed it to her. "A gun. In case you come across something else."

After a pause, Carter nodded and placed it under her jeans waistband and behind her back.

"How do you kill a vampire?" Dean asked, shutting the false bottom and then the trunk."

"Dean, I already know-"

"Just, humor me, okay?"

Carter sighed, "You chop its head off."

Dean nodded, "Good. If anything goes south, I better get on speed dial, you hear me?"

"Yes, sir."

"Alright," Dean pulled Carter in for a hug, "have fun."

"Thanks, Dean," Carter said after the hug, grabbed all her bags and ran to meet her friends.

Carter embraced her friends and said hello to all their parents as the Impala's purr started down the street.

"Are we all ready?" Maria asked, acting as the one in charge. Everyone nodded.

"How far is the campsite from here?" Carter asked.

Maria thought, "About a mile hike, I think."

"Seriously? Geez," Carter replied, thinking how tiring it will be to carry all of her crap.

"Alright, let's go already!" Stella called and headed towards the trail. Everyone picked up their stuff and followed her, calling back their goodbyes to their families.

SPNSPNSPN

The hike to the campsite wasn't bad for Carter; she tied her duffel to her backpack so her hands were free. Carter was used to running a mile, as it was part of her training. Walking a mile, though? It became more of a scenic walk for her. Her friends on the other hand, wanted to stop every few feet to rest. It made the hike a lot longer than it could have been.

When they finally arrived at campsite 53, they had come to the conclusion that they were camping alone out there. All of the previous 52 campsites were empty. They all dropped their bags and sat down at the wooden picnic table. Maria, Nora, and Willie all pulled out a water bottle and Stella and Kate pulled out granola bars. Carter silently checked to make sure she still had her knife and gun hidden.

After five minutes, they started to set up their two tents. It was decided that Maria, Stella, and Carter would sleep in one tent and Nora, Kate, and Willie would sleep in the other. The girls immediately started pulling at strings and tarps, tugging until it was all in place. Whereas Carter hung back, not knowing what to do; she had never slept in a tent before.

As the girls finished up, they decided they wanted to start their fire so they could have lunch, as they were all starving. Four of the girls went to search for firewood, leaving Carter and Willie to fix the pit. The stones had started to cave in and it was covered with fallen leaves. They pulled most of the leaves out and placed them to the side for kindling later. Then they set to work on the stones. Once, they were arranged in a circular pattern. Picking up the rocks, they attempted to recreate the pattern, but found it difficult. If took them twenty minutes before they were satisfied with their work. By that time, the other four girls could be heard shuffling towards them. Carter and Willie looked up and saw Kate being supported by Maria and Stella, with Nora carrying all the wood.

"Oh my gosh! What happened?" Willie exclaimed and moved to clear the bench for Kate to sit down. Kate sat down and Carter went for her first aid kit she always carried in her bag.

"I twisted my ankle stepping over a log," Kate replied and propped her ankle on the bench. Carter came back and opened the kit. Silently, she pulled out an ACE bandage and a squeezable ice pack.

She handed the ice pack to Kate and told her to squeeze it a couple times to make it work. "You guys can get started on the fire, I got this," she said and the girls went over to help Nora with the wood. Carter pulled Kate's shoe off carefully and started to wrap her foot.

"How do you know how to do this?" Kate asked as she watched Carter meticulously wrap her ankle.

Carter glanced up and smiled, "Not my first sprained ankle."

Kate shrugged and looked at the first aid kit. The lid was open and her eyes landed on the small bottle of whiskey. She picked it up and turned towards her friend, "Why do you have whiskey in here?"

Carter finished the wrapping and grabbed the bottle from Kate. She placed the ice pack on her ankle and stood up. "That's a pain reliever for my brothers." Carter didn't add that sometimes she had to use it, too. Just the big stuff, though. Like dislocated shoulders, deep gashes, and gun wounds. She'd never used it for pleasure. And quite honestly, she hated the taste of it. Before Kate could say any more, Carter picked up her kit and brought it back into her tent.

* * *

That night, all six girls sat around the fire with marshmallows on sticks. Every now and then, their chatter would be interrupted by a flaming marshmallow and the group would laugh. Once marshmallows had been eaten, the girls huddled under blankets and their thoughts turned to ghost stories. Willie was the first to speak out, demanding one be told. Stella volunteered first, claiming her story would scare the pants off everyone. It didn't, however. The least it did was raise a shiver among most of the girls, excluding Carter (she'd experience way worse; it would take a tough story to scare her). Nora volunteered next, but hers wasn't much better. After Nora, Maria called on Carter. Everyone turned to her and started begging for a story.

"Okay, okay," Carter relented, cleared her throat and started, "Many many years ago, a couple lived in a cabin in the woods in a tiny town in Michigan. They were absolutely in love. I mean, they were constantly giving each other gifts to show how much they loved each other. One of the gifts was a handmade grandfather clock with two hearts on the top. When the man gave it to his wife, he said, 'My love, so long as this clock ticks, our love will remain strong.'"

"That's so cheesy, but I love it!" Stella spoke softly. Nora shushed her and the girls grew quiet. It was as if the whole forest was listening in, because not even an owl hooted.

"One night, the couple was sitting in their living room, each reading a book of their own, when shouting came from outside. For the past two months in that town, many families had been losing their heat. And being in the middle of winter, children started to freeze. The townsmen caught wind that the old man might have had something to do with it. It wasn't true, but they needed someone to blame for their heartache. So, they broke into the cabin and shot the wife in cold blood. They felt the old man needed to pay for his sins and his wife's death was what was needed.

"The townsmen were never charged with murder and the old man died a month later. Nobody ever found his body and throughout the house, the clock was said to beat stronger, as though the old man was trying to call out to his wife. All around town the following winter, the townsmen who raided his home started dying. Of them, the couples were said to have died in more pain.

"And to this day, everyone who goes near the cabin can still hear the clock ticking," Carter ended and looked around at her friends, watching as they cuddled under blankets and stared wide-eyed around them.

Before anyone could speak, a bunch of twigs snapped near the camp paused everyone and sent them all on high alert.

"It's the old man!" Kate cried, and buried herself in the blanket. Carter stood up slowly and turned towards the noise.

"It-it was just a story, Kate. The old man isn't real," Maria mumbled, but added nervously, "right?"

Nobody answered. All hearts were beating furiously. Though Carter's for a different reason (she knew for a fact that the old man wasn't haunting anyone anymore, she'd burned the bones and additionally the clock months ago). Carter's heart beat hard because she knew she'd found the vampires; or rather, they found her. Carter's hand found the handle of her knife and waited for them to show themselves.

A woman in dark clothing stepped from the direction Carter was facing. Akimbo, the woman stepped forward, a smile playing on her lips. "Nice, we weren't expecting to find six bodies tonight."

Before Carter could pull the knife out, a blinding sensation clouded her and she dropped to the ground- unconscious. Another vamp had snuck up behind her and hit her over the head. The woman walked over and kicked at the knife that slid out of Carter's coat. "Looks like we found ourselves a hunter," the woman called and turned to the rest of the girls, "Gather them all up and bring them back to the nest, Vic will be happy." The woman smiled as her family rounded the girls up and ushered them towards the nest.

* * *

Carter woke to a pounding in her head. She groaned and squeezed her eyes shut, attempting to bring her hands to her face. She found they were tied behind her, wrapped around a wooden pole. She blinked a couple times and looked up into the room. Her vision took awhile to clear, but she noticed a woman in a leather jacket standing in front of her, gazing happily at Carter's knife, which was positioned in her hands. The woman smiled when she saw Carter was awake.

"Mornin' sunshine," she soothed as she stabbed the knife into the table. Carter looked around and saw all five of her friends tied to something. Only one other vamp was visible, sitting on a couch.

"Where's the rest of you?" Carter asked.

"I should ask the same of you," The woman shot back. "One lone hunter in a town inhabited by vamps? Doubtful."

"I take it you don't know who I am?" Carter asked.

The vamp shrugged, "Should I?"

Before Carter could respond, a door clanged open and in strolled the obvious leader and two henchmen. The woman cried out and ran into the leader's arms. They started a makeout session and Carter looked away.

"Cart, are you okay?" Stella, who was right next to Carter, whispered. Carter nodded. "What was she talking about? What's going on? What's a hunter? Why is this town inhabited by vamps?"

"Um, it's kinda hard to explain,-" before Carter could explain further, the woman walked over, the leader following behind.

"Where'd you find these lovelies?" The man purred and squatted down in front of Carter. He held her face in his hands, and inspected his future meal.

"They were camping over at the sites." She picked up Carter's knife and gun. "Found these on that one," she nodded towards Carter. The man, Vic, glanced at the weapons and turned back to Carter, dropping his hand from her face. He stood up.

"Eh, I don't really have a taste for hunters; too salty," Vic grabbed the knife and weighed it in his hands. Carter's hands fumbled behind her back, working on cutting the last of the rope; she'd found a piece of sharp metal soon after she'd awaken and had been working on it since. "Think I'll just kill this one, you can drain the others later."

"Before," Carter interrupted, frantically trying to finish cutting the rope; she could hear the other girls crying and breathing heavy, "you kill me, don't you want to know who I am? For bragging rights, of course." Vic lowered the knife slightly. "Does Winchester sound familiar?"

"Winchester?" Vic raised the knife again, anger showing on his face. "You mean the Winchester assholes who murdered half my nest a few years back? The ones aiding with the temper tantrum being thrown by Heaven and Hell?"

"The one and only," Carter mumbled, feeling the rope break. She held her hands still, trying not to give their release away.

He raised the knife, ready to strike. "Then I'll have even more fun killing you." Before he could swing the knife down on Carter, she lept forward, crashing into his knees and wrestling the knife from his grasp. She swung it down on his head, slicing it from his body and stood up facing the woman. She was furious, as expected. As she rushed Carter, Carter swung her knife and chopped her head off, the body dropping to the floor. Carter spun around to look for the other vampires but they were nowhere to be found. She rushed over to untie her friends. She sliced Stella, Maria, Willie, and Nora's ropes and was going to Kate's when Kate pulled back and shook her head.

"What the hell was that?" Kate cried, her eyes wide. "You just killed them with absolutely no hesitation!"

Carter squatted down and started hacking at the rope, despite her protests. "And if you don't shut up and trust me, the other vamps will kill you. They didn't just disappear, Kate, they'll be back." After breaking the rope, Carter stood up and grabbed her gun, opening the door and looking out of it. She peered out and saw no vamps, so she opened it more, motioning for her friends to follow her out.

* * *

After walking for what felt like hours, Carter and the girls finally reached a paved road. Carter walked out to the middle of the road and looked around for any cars. It was silent.

"Alright, I'm not going any farther until I get some answers," Kate cried.

Carter turned around and saw the other girls agreeing with her. She sighed. "It's a long story." Kate raised her eyebrows in a demand to keep talking. "Fine. Those were vampires. Like, bloodsucking, fang wielding, vampires. And I know because I'm a hunter; my brothers are also and my dad used to be one. I knew how to kill them because I've been doing this since I was five."

"You've been hunting _vampires_ since you were _five_?" Stella asked incredulously.

"Well…" Carter sighed, not wanting to tell them what was really out there. She wished her brothers had never told _her._

"Well what?" Maria asked.

"Look, this isn't the time for this. And I really don't want to be the one who ruined your innocence."

"Seriously? Tell us now, Carter."

Carter locked her jaw in anger. "You want the truth? You want to be scared to fall asleep at night? Then fine, hey, not my problem, then. The reason I moved to this town was because you had a ghost problem. Not a cute, friendly little Casper, but a murderous old hag. Her death toll was at five by the time we got there," Carter took a deep breath and looked around for any cars. "Remember the ghost story I told you? It was true; my brothers had to salt and burn the bones a few months back. And there aren't just ghosts and vampires out there. There's angels, demons, Pagan gods, werewolves, wendigos; pretty much anything, you name it, it's real. _This_ has been my life since I was five." Carter turned as she heard a car approach. She waved her arms as she stood in the middle of the road. The car slowed down and rolled down the window, revealing a middle aged woman.

"Do you mind if I borrow your phone, ma'am? You see, we got a little lost on our hike," Carter lied.

The woman looked around at the girls. "It's the middle of the night, what're doing out hiking?" She asked.

Carter shrugged impatiently, "We, uh, we've been lost awhile."

Finally, the woman nodded and handed Carter her phone. Carter nodded her thanks and dialed Dean's number.

"Yeah?" Dean answered.

"Dean, it's me. We found the nest."

"Where are you? Did they see you?"

Carter looked up, seeing no road sign. "Excuse me, ma'am, but could you tell me what road this is?" Carter asked the lady.

"Mission Hills Road."

Carter repeated to Dean the road and added, "Yeah, they saw us. Damn near gave me a concussion and decided to make us lunch."

Dean cursed and said he would be there soon. Carter hung up the phone and handed it back to the lady. After assuring her they were fine, the lady drove away. Carter walked back to the group and picked up her knife and gun that she dropped.

"Why should we believe you?" Nora asked, not wanting to drop the previous conversation.

Carter started wiping the bloody knife on the grass. "Look, believe me or don't believe me, I don't really care." The blood took a bit, but it all finally came off.

"Your dad, he-?" Willie hesitated.

"Killed by a demon when I was fourteen," Carter answered and placed her knife in her jacket and her gun behind her back.

"I'm sorry," Willie mumbled.

Carter shrugged. "Happens a lot in this line of work. Most of the time the death of a loved one is how someone gets started hunting. It's how my dad started."

"What do you mean?"

"My brothers' mom. She died when Sam was six months. A demon named Azazel killed her because she was concerned about her son," Carter spat. The girls grew quiet as they waited for Dean to arrive.

* * *

It took twenty minutes for Dean's rock music to be heard. He turned a bend, his flashlight searching the other side of the road for his sister. As she saw them, he pulled over and rolled down his window and turned down his music. Carter walked up and he noticed immediately that she looked like shit. Her hair was in knots and had some leaves silently tangled into it. There were some scratches on her face and the familiar dark crescents under her eyes. He realized with a sinking feeling that the dark marks never really go away.

"Your head okay?" Dean asked as Carter bent down to his window.

"Yeah, I think I'm fine," Carter answered and quickly changed the subject. "I managed to chop the heads off of the leader and his, uh, 'mate'. I'm not sure where the others went, but there weren't many. Like, three others?"

Dean nodded his head in thought. After a minutes he replied, "We can find them in the morning. For now, let's get your friends back to their places."

"We also should collect all of our things from the campsite afterwards."

"Yeah, after they're dead we'll worry about that."

Carter nodded and turned to her friends. She announced that four of them could sit in the back of the car and one could sit up front with Carter and Dean. Without waiting for them to move, Carter moved around to the passenger side of the Impala and slid in next to Dean. After a couple of seconds, all of the girls except for Stella sat in the back, leaving Stella to sit up front with the Winchesters. Dean turned the Impala around, turned AC/DC on high and drove off.

* * *

The next day, Dean, Sam, and Carter set out to look for the vampires. They found the nest after following the tracks from the campsite. It didn't take them long to behead the three vampires and head back to the campsite. They packed everything up and brought it all back to Maria's house, where all the girls had slept that night. All of the girls agreed to tell their parents that they got scared after Kate sprained her ankle, so Dean came and picked them up.

Carter didn't stay long at Maria's house before she left back to the motel. She packed up her stuff and all three Winchesters left in the Impala.

None of them had plans to return to the town. After one week, Carter stopped talking to her friends, as they all tried to forget the mysterious Winchester.

The one good thing that happened in that town was Carter losing her fear of vampires. And it was the best thing that could have happened.

* * *

Hope you liked the chapter! If I stick with the couple ideas I have written down, then you got a bunch of fluff coming your way! Hope your weekend is pie-tastic! (Sorry, had to.)

P.S. Has anyone seen the new season? It's killing me.


	5. Halloween Fit For A Bee

Disclaimer: I really wished I own the Winchesters, but alas I don't.

Author's Note: Hey all! I decided to make the aforementioned fluff into a Halloween chapter, essentially killing two birds with one stone. (Trust me when I say this decision wasn't easy; I'd started two other fluff chapters and had two completely different fluff ideas written down. Who knows if I'll ever finish them, so don't count on them being posted.) I'm not quite sure if I'll get another Halloween-esque chapter out or not, as my idea is a little brief. I'm leaning more towards not posting it, so I apologize for this early Halloween special. For future chapters, I've got a lot of ideas lined up, I just have to actually put them to paper. Anyway, enjoy!

Warnings: Is fluff a warning?

Takes place before the series begins.

Ages:

Dean: 21

Sam: 17

Carter: 8

* * *

"Come _on_ , Dean!" Carter stomped her foot as she stood by the motel door. She was dressed as a bee this year, a costume McGyvered by Dean. They had found a yellow shirt and old wings at the Goodwill the other day and she had a pair of black leggings and wore her old sneakers. In her hands she held a plastic bag that had groceries in it just that morning; there wasn't a pumpkin bucket anywhere. Sam sat at the kitchen table, glancing up every now and then from his homework. Dean was stripping his gun on the bed; he'd told Carter it needed to be cleaned before they could go get candy. But Carter was done with waiting, she wanted candy _now_.

"I told you I needed to clean my gun first, kiddo," Dean responded, wiped a spot off and slowly started putting it back together. Carter stood akimbo, a puss on her face. But he didn't hurry up. Dean, quite frankly, did _not_ want to go out tonight. He hated having to skirt around a bunch of little kids with candy-hungry eyes and groups of laughing teens (God forbid they ever not be laughing). They all acted as though it was all just a little game. You know, dress up as imaginary monsters, take random people's candy, and be on their merry way. It angered Dean. Sometimes he wished everyone just knew about monsters, that way they wouldn't make fools of themselves when they impersonated them. The other reason, though he'd never admit it, is because he never got to go trick-or-treating. His dad was always way too focused on his work. Dean couldn't complain, though, because it went hand-in-hand with the fact that no one knew about monsters. It was all one big ugly circle.

He loaded the gun and put it behind his back under his leather jacket. "Alright, you sure you don't want to come, Sammy? There's free candy," Dean smiled as he walked to the table.

Sam chuckled, "Nah, I'm good. I have to study."

"You're always studying," Carter remarked. Dean raised his eyebrows.

"The kid's got a point," Dean said but Sam just shook his head. Dean shrugged and Carter opened the door, both of them walking out of it. They hopped into the Impala in their respective seat: Dean in the driver's seat and Carter behind the passenger's. The rock music started as soon as the Impala did, and no sooner were they spilling out towards town.

They headed towards one of the bustling townhouse developments. It was a favorite amongst the locals because all of the houses were relatively close to the road. Cars were parked all up along the road with children and soccer moms, teens and their friends, all loading out of them. Dean parked in the first spot he found, which happened to be close to the exit. He looked around briefly, muttering a "let's get this over with," and climbed out of the car. Carter mimicked her big brother's actions, though with more enthusiasm. This was quite a big deal for her. The last two years, her brothers permitted her from going out because they were too busy to take her. And she most definitely wasn't going alone. But this year she made them promise to take her. She would _not_ miss free candy again.

Carter climbed onto the sidewalk, Dean next to her, and headed towards the first house they came across. She rushed up to the front steps and stood in line behind a couple other kids. As she waited, she looked around at all the costumes. To her, they all looked perfect. Everything a witch could have, they all had. Every zombie, animal, and movie character had everything they needed and they all looked _perfect_. She sadly looked down at her own mish-mashed costume and frowned. Hers cost only $5 and it looked it. The kids in front of her finally moved and the lady threw some candy into her bag. Carter mumbled a thank you and ran back to Dean.

"What'd you get?" Dean asked as he silently took in her frown. They began walking down the sidewalk to the next house.

Carter shrugged and turned to look into her bag, "Kit-Kat and Snickers." She stopped and turned to look at Dean. She sighed sadly, "We can just go back to the motel, now."

Dean raised his eyebrows in confusion, "We _just_ got here, and now you want to leave? You've been asking to do this for weeks." Dean softened as Carter looked down. "What's wrong? Why do you want to leave?" Dean squatted down in front of her. Little kids and soccer moms streamed around them.

She sighed, "Everyone's costumes look so good; mine just looks like crap." Dean chewed on his lip and pulled her to the side of the walkway, out of everyone's way.

"I don't think you look like crap," Dean started. "I think everyone else does. I bet you ten bucks that most of them bought their costumes at some big name store. And those costumes always rip, are too thin, the tags are way too scratchy. You don't want a scratchy tag, trust me." Dean smiled and chuckled, "They were definitely not worth the twenty dollars they were worth. And in the end, the most important thing isn't ever the costume. Do you know what it is?" Carter shrugged her shoulders.

"That you had fun?" She tried.

Dean sputtered, "Well, yeah, I guess that could be it. But the most important thing is that you got way more candy than everyone else." Carter looked up at Dean and smiled wide. Her smile illuminated her brown eyes even in the dull lighting. "Yeah? Ready to get tons of candy?"

"Yes!" Carter called and pulled Dean from his sitting position and rushed to the next house.

By the time the two siblings returned to the motel, they had hit every house they could find and had accumulated one and a half bags of candy. Carter was completely exhausted. On the last leg of the trip, Dean had kept asking her if she wanted to stop, but she refused to give up. She always mumbled something about being the best trick-or-treater ever. On the way back to the motel, Dean played his music softly, hoping his little sister would fall asleep. But with no such luck.

Carter stumbled into the motel room, dragging both of her candy sacks. Sam switched the tv off and smiled as he stood up.

"How'd it go? You get anything good?"

Carter dropped the bags by Sam's feet and stumbled to her bed. The second she laid down, she fell asleep. Poor kid wasn't even to the pillow. Dean walked through the door and shut it behind him. Sam turned to him instead.

"Hey," Dean greeted, tossing his keys onto the table and he shed his jacket.

"Hey," Sam responded, "You stay out late enough, Dean?"

"The kid was relentless."

Both boys looked at their sleeping sister.

"At least this Halloween was happy for her."

Both of their thoughts became clouded with the memories of last Halloween. Right before the holiday, a hunt had found its way into the small family. Their dad commanded them to help him with it, inevitably tying the boys to the job. It didn't get wrapped up as quickly as they would have liked, though. When it started pushing into Halloween, Dean had to cut his thoughts to bring Carter trick-or-treating that year. She was devastated and wouldn't talk to Dean for a week. It made him feel really guilty, but he couldn't have done anything. He had vowed to himself that it would be different the next year.

Carter's soft snores filled the silence in the room as both her brothers became stuck in their thoughts.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a review if you can, it really helps me to continue writing. I also want to apologize if Dean may have seen OOC, I tried my best, and if this wasn't fluffy enough as I promised. Like I said earlier, this chapter came out of four different ideas.

Have a great week!


	6. Daddy is Around the Bend, Dear Child

Hello all! Welcome to another chapter that was never supposed to be written. Sometimes ideas just hit me with a 50 pound bag of potatoes and keep hitting me until I write them. It can be very annoying. Nonetheless, here you go. I'm not even exactly sure what this is, but it exists, so. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Oh don't I wish I owned them.

Takes place pre-series.

Warning: Crying?

Ages:

Dean: 18

Sam: 14

Carter: 5

* * *

Dean bustled around the kitchen, pulling out a bowl and some cereal. He tossed the empty milk jug and strode over to Carter's sleeping figure. He knelt one knee on the bed and bent over her. She laid on her stomach, face pressed to the pillow and hair sprayed over her eyelashes. Her arms sprawled in all directions and her legs tucked close to her chest. Dean wouldn't have guessed it was comfy, but she was still sound asleep.

"Hey, Carter, wake up. It's time for school," Dean said softly and nudged her shoulder. She emitted a soft moan and pulled her arms back into her body. She pushed her hair out of her face.

"Daddy?" She asked, mistaking and hoping it was her dad who had woken her up. Dean recoiled slightly. Carter sat up and pushed the rest of her bedraggled hair out of her face. She blinked around the room and didn't see her dad. She gazed confusingly up at her brother. "Where's daddy?"

Dean pushed off the bed, ignoring her question, "Your breakfast is ready. We don't have any milk, though. I'll pick some up later." Carter crawled out from under the covers and plopped down onto the floor. She clambered onto a kitchen chair and watched as Dean poured some water from an old bottle into a slightly dirty cup. She rubbed at her eyes and reached for her cereal bowl.

"Is daddy coming home today?" She asked softly as she gripped the cold spoon in her hands. Their father had been on a hunt for two weeks now and they were running low on funds. Not only that but Carter had begun growing a deep fond for her absent father. The new bond could be chalked up to the fact that she had learned about monsters only a month before.

"Probably not." Dean handed her the cup and grabbed his own bowl of cereal. "Eat your breakfast."

"Can you call him?" Carter asked, not taking a bite of her food.

"He's busy, Carter," Dean snapped, getting annoyed at all her questions. He wanted his dad to be there, too, but John's job always came before his kids. Dean had learned that fast.

Carter looked down sadly and took a bite of her cereal. The dry flakes slid down roughly and tears welled in her eyes. She was terrified for the man. She wished her daddy didn't have to do dangerous things that could get him killed. She wanted her daddy here, with her. Didn't she deserve that?

The rest of breakfast went by quietly. Every now and then, Carter would sniffle her tears away and Dean would give her a side glance. After her bowl was cleared, Dean pulled out her clothes for the day and told her to get dressed fast. She brushed her teeth and combed her hair with a long face. They walked out to the Impala, with Carter in the back seat and Dean in the driver's seat. As the wind whipped through the open windows, Carter let her tears drop from her eyes. She gripped her backpack to her chest and watched the houses zoom by.

After five minutes, the giant elementary school came into view. Dean parked the Impala in the parking lot near the kindergarten rooms. He climbed out, Carter following slowly behind. Before she could drop to the ground, she dangled her feet over the edge of the seat and put on her backpack. Her eyes matched quite brilliantly with her pout.

"Hey," Dean stopped her and took her face in his hands. "What's wrong?" He wiped away one of her trying tears.

"I don't want to go to school," she said tearfully and looked down, new tears falling.

"And why's that?"

Carter looked up at Dean, her eyes wide. "Because I miss daddy!" A sob finally broke through and she pushed her fists to her eyes. Dean sighed and lightly pounded his fist on the roof in anger. His jaw clenched subconsciously. He wasn't mad at Carter, he was mad at his dad. He knew his job was important and that he was saving real lives, but he was crushing his own kids in the process. He wished there was some middle ground where his dad could still hunt and spend time with his kids, but that was near impossible. Unfortunately, most hunters couldn't have a good home life, or most of them didn't even get a chance. Where the Winchesters stood on that scale was hard to determine. At least they had a dad, no matter how distant he was. Dean just couldn't stand to see his sister being so crushed.

The school bell rang, calling all kids to their rooms. Dean fixed himself and grabbed Carter from her sitting position. He plopped her on the ground and shut the door, grabbed her hand and led her to her classroom. Carter kept crying, but she went along with her big brother. She went willingly where he led her but stopped short of the door to the room. The teacher, Ms. Maron, always smiled as she greeted every kid that came in the door. No one's parents led them to the door, but yet Carter still needed her dad to be there.

"No!" Carter called and gripped Dean's leg tightly, she buried her head in his jeans and Ms. Maron looked over in concern.

"Stop it, Carter," Dean hissed.

Ms. Maron walked over, "Is everything okay?" Carter looked away, wiping some tears on Dean's pants in the process. Ms. Maron looked over at Dean.

"She just misses our dad, that's all."

Ms. Maron looked at Dean with concern. "When will she see him again? Tonight?" Ms. Maron remembered Carter's dad quite well. She had been in the office when the man signed Carter up. He was tall with dark hair and a poisonous, worn out look. He had a couple cuts over his face, which she had chalked up to some kind of accident. Maybe a branch falling or a small tumble down stairs. Carter was there, too. She seemed tiny as she stood next to her dad, hands gripping his one. Ms. Maron remembered exactly what they were wearing. Mr. Winchester wore a dark jacket with faded, ripped jeans. They didn't look like the kind you bought ripped, plus they had odd dark stains. Carter wore blue leggings with a large AC/DC shirt over top. The shirt was so big that it extended to her knees and the sleeves went to her elbows. Looking back, Ms. Maron realized it probably was a hand-me-down from her brother.

"Not for a couple more days, actually."

Ms. Maron's thoughts started to spin. _A couple_ more _days? How long has he been gone?_ And all at once, everything started to make sense. The reason Dean (who should be in high school right now) brought his sister to school every day. The reason why Carter was always asking when lunch was. The reason her clothes always looked well worn and dirty. The reason her and her brother were so close. The reason being her father was never there. Ms. Maron pushed all these thoughts aside quickly. She could deal with it all later. Right now, she needed to deal with the crying kid on her hands.

She knelt down to the crying kindergartener. Carter was still facing away from her teacher and still had her arms wrapped tightly around Dean's leg. And the tears still flowed freely. "Carter, can you look at me, please?" She readjusted her grip on Dean and turned to face her teacher. Ms. Maron smiled softly. "You wanna come to class with me?" Carter shook her head no. Ms. Maron bit her lip. "Okay, how about this: since you miss your dad so much, why don't you draw a picture for him for when he gets back? He'll be very happy to have it."

Carter's tears stopped flowing and she looked at her teacher. "Can I- can I use markers?" She asks timidly.

Ms. Maron smiled wide, "Of course! You can use anything you want! So what do you say, will you come to class with me?" After a pause, Carter nodded her head. She released her grip on Dean's leg as Ms. Maron stood up. She threw a goodbye at her brother and followed her teacher into the classroom.

* * *

Seven days later, questions about when her dad would be coming home had ceased. Carter was once again used to the fact that he would be gone awhile. The picture she made for her dad days ago was within reach wherever she went; she wanted to make sure she could give it to her dad the moment he came back.

And it was that day after school when she finally could. The bell rang, dismissing everyone from their classes. Carter grabbed her stuff and trudged out to meet Dean. (He had made it a point to pick her up after school every single day.) All of the children ran to their parents or walked slowly to continue talking to their friends. Carter stood at the back, eyes glazing over everyone, trying to find her big brother. It was only when parents started to leave that a familiar face appeared behind everyone. A smile split across her face and she ran to the man.

"Daddy!" She called and jumped into his arms. She looked up and saw him smiling back. He had old cuts over his face along with a bruised eye and a gash across his forehead. Carter ignored them as she always did.

"Hey, kiddo," he said at last, when he released his youngest. She immediately tore off her backpack and started searching for her picture. She pulled it out and ignored the torn corners and wrinkled look; it still looked perfect to her. She smiled wide as she handed it to her father.

"I made this for you!"

He knelt down to his daughter and gripped the picture in his hands. It was a drawing of a stick figure family. A tall stick man with two shorter stick men stood around a small stick girl. Carter pointed to the tall man. "That's you, daddy. And that's Dean and Sam," she pointed to the shorter men, and lastly to the little girl, "and that's me!"

"It's very beautiful, Carter," John said and gave his daughter a hug. "Now, let's go back to the motel, okay?" He stood up and gripped her hand. They walked off smiling, back to their temporary home. And for a moment, everything was perfect.

And if you never cherish those moments, what would you be left with?

* * *

Well, there ya go. Did it satisfy your weekly Carter needs?

Yeah, I'll do better next week. Cya!


	7. A Lesson in Teaching

Hey everyone! Happy Halloween! I came up with this idea yesterday and really wanted to write it. It's quite short but I thought you all might want to finally get a chapter with an older Carter. If you don't know, Carter took online classes after high school to become a mythology teacher. She left her brothers when she graduated, at age 22. It might sound weird that she got a job right out of college, but I figured the school really needed a mythology teacher so they hired her right away. She's renting out a house and she doesn't live with Sam and Dean anymore.

Anyway, onto the story! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Oh boy do I wish I owned them

Warning: None :)

Ages:

Dean: 35

Sam: 31

Carter: 22

Takes place during season 10

* * *

"Why did you become a teacher?"

It came from the back of the room, where a group of boys sat. Carter froze, arm halfway to the board. She was in the middle of a lesson about Germanic pagans. The class was getting tired, Carter was getting tired; it was the end of the day and everyone just wanted to go home. Carter dropped her hand and turned towards where the voice came from.

Confusingly, she asked, "Excuse me?"

The culprit sat up. He was a football player with an entitled attitude; so to hear him ask this was strange. "Why did you decide to teach? I mean, why not be a historian or a librarian or a scientist? Why teaching?"

Carter put the pen back on the smartboard and leaned on the podium. "Why did I become a teacher? Are you asking seriously or is this just a distraction from the lesson?"

"No, it's a real question. I really want to know."

Carter sighed, "It's a long story." At everyone's eager eyes, Carter sat down on her desk. "Alright, well I think it's important to know that I _never_ wanted to be a teacher when I was growing up. I actually hated my high school years. And when I was a senior, I was very close to dropping out. I figured there wasn't much out there for me except for the family business. Plus, my family moved every month or so so I didn't have many friends and," Carter gave a little chuckle, "I got in trouble a _lot_ during school. That definitely didn't help."

"Wait, _you_ got in _trouble_? You don't strike me as the bad kid," one kid called out.

Carter nodded her head, "Oh yeah, I got quite a lot of detentions and suspensions. I think I even got expelled once or twice."

"What did you do to get expelled?"

Carter looked out at her class. Most were gazing excitedly and eagerly at their teacher.

"Oh, many different reasons. Being late too much, getting in fights with classmates, stuff like that." Carter nodded. "But anyway, back to teaching. I think the person that really pushed me into teaching was one of my twelfth grade English teachers. I was just on the verge of dropping out of school; my grades had plummeted, my family was going through a rough time, and I was just done with school. I didn't think it was helping me and it felt like it was actually hindering me. I couldn't take it anymore. And then we moved again. And I got the best English teacher ever. Her name was Mrs. Plum and she cared about absolutely everyone in class. She was the sweetest woman I could ask for. And you could really tell that she cared about her students and wanted to be there for them. And I decided then and there that I wanted to be the same thing. So, I guess that would be the reason I became a teacher; to help my students."

A couple students "awww'd" while the others just smiled.

"Anyway, can I get back to my lesson?" Students pulled their notes back out but the bell rang, ending class. "Ah, you're all saved! No homework, enjoy your weekend!" Students grabbed their books and left the classroom. A small smile was left on the football player's face as he left that day. He felt Miss Winchester would turn out to be his Mrs. Plum.

* * *

Thanks for reading! I think I'll be able to get a chapter up next week around the end of the week, or so. But I'm not sure, because I only write while in school and I only have a three day week next week. But I'll try to get it out as soon as I can!

Enjoy your Halloween!


	8. All In The Job Title

Hello all! I'm sorry I haven't updated in over a week, my classes all suddenly got very busy last week and then I lost my inspiration for writing. I struggled a bit through this one, even though I had an idea of what it should be. So for that, I'm sorry. Next week, I plan on finishing a piece and posting it and then the following week will be a kind of sequel to this chapter in a way. The sequel will be Thanksgiving-centered, since I live in the states and I celebrate it. Sorry for all of those who don't, but it will be good, I promise! Anyway, enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: Oh boy do I wish i owned them, but I don't.

Warnings: Mention of sewing up of an arm and the popping back in of a shoulder

Ages:

Carter: 16

Dean:29

Sam:25

Takes place somewhere in season 4

I borrowed the scene from 4x09 "I Know What You Did Last Summer" when Sam and Dean come back from getting their asses kicked because I suck at writing scenes like that.

One more thing: I couldn't find anywhere to add this into the story, so I'll put it here. Grant is my OC who is a senior in high school and has brown hair. He comes from a wealthy family, which you'll see in two chapters from now. Everything else is up to your imaginations!

* * *

The door banged open and Sam and Dean struggled in. Dean had his left arm cradled against his chest and Sam had blood running down his arm. On cue, Carter stood up from her bed and put down her phone. She grabbed the first aid kit and walked over to them. Dean dropped his bag on the floor and walked into the bathroom. Sam sat down on his bed and rolled up the sleeves of his blood stained shirt. Wordlessly, Carter put the first aid kit next to Sam and went over to the table to grab a bottle of beer.

It was quiet in the motel room. All that could be heard was the splashing of water in the sink and groans from Sam as he threaded a needle. Every now and then, a car horn beeped outside at the intersection.

Carter popped the cap off of the beer and handed it to Sam. He took a chug before starting to sew his arm up. Dean hobbled out of the bathroom with his arm still clutched against his chest. His face no longer had blood on it but his clothes were clearly stained. "Carter I need you to get my shoulder back in," he said in a pained voice. She nodded, tugged on her shirt slightly and walked to where Dean was.

Her stomach fluttered as she stood behind him and positioned her hands on his shoulder. She'd only had to do this once before and it required a lot of strength. Unfortunately, it didn't pop back in and it ended up hurting Dean even more. Sam was still sewing up a deep gash in his arm so he couldn't do it. It was up to Carter.

"Come on," Dean soothed, knowing she was nervous. "Just pull it backwards really hard. You can do it." Carter nodded even though he couldn't see. She took a deep breath.

"Ready? _One_ , _two_." On two she pulled his shoulder backwards and Dean groaned as it fell back into place. Immediately, he sat up and rubbed the shoulder gently. He nodded a couple times and grabbed the beer Sam had. He took a long drink of it and looked over at his sister.

"See? I knew you could do it," he smiled softly. She smiled back and finally he could take his little sister in; she had a black skirt on and a clean purple sweater over top. Around her neck she wore a simple chain and pendant and a fake ring on her finger. Needless to say, this was not what she usually wore. Hardly ever, actually. "You got another case or something?" The only time she would ever wear something other than jeans was when she was playing FBI. And she never had jewelry on (for a good reason, too).

Self consciously, Carter looked down at her outfit. Slowly and cautiously, she looked up at her brother; this was the hard part. "Actually, I have a date. He's picking me up in a couple minutes."

Dean looked at her like she grew another head. "Excuse me?"

" _A date_ , Dean," Carter clarified. "You know, those things where you go out with someone, watch a movie, eat dinner, that kind of stuff."

Dean scoffed and smiled; not the smile Carter particularly liked. " _I know what a friggin' date is._ What I don't know is why _you're_ going on one," he spat.

"Because I can?"

Before Dean could respond, a knock sounded at the door. _Crap_ , Carter thought, _he's early._ Dean threw a hard glare at Carter and went to the door. With his good arm, he grabbed a gun and hid it behind his back. With his bad arm, he opened the door. Carter sighed and started chewing on her lip. She tried peeking around Dean but he was so gigantic she couldn't see anything.

"Who're you?" Dean asked gruffly. At his voice, Carter stopped chewing on her lip and moved to the door. She pulled Dean out of the way slightly and looked up at her date, Grant.

"Dean, this is my boyfriend, Grant. Grant, this is my oldest brother, Dean," Carter introduced, hoping that Dean would calm down and not put a bullet in his brain.

Dean glared into the young man standing in front of him. Grant's smile wavered. "It's nice to meet you," he said softly and after a nervous glance from Carter added, "S-sir."

" _No_ ," Dean said and shut the door.

Carter's mouth gaped and she turned angrily to her escaping brother. Biting hard on her tongue, she turned away from him and opened the door back up. Grant stared worriedly at his girlfriend as he clutched a flower tightly in his hands.

"Did I say something wrong?" He asked and Carter pulled him into the room.

As she shut the door behind him, she replied, "Naw, it's not your fault." Turning into the room, Dean stood next to the bed Sam was sitting on. "My brother's just an asshole!" She called loudly.

"Oh _I'm_ an asshole? Why, because I won't let you go on some stupid date? With some sex-driven boy?"

"Dean!" Carter cried with her face reddening.

"Shut up, the both of you!" Sam yelled. Dean and Carter both stopped and stared at their brother. Meanwhile, Grant was taking it all in. The empty take out containers everywhere, the beer bottles, Sam's bleeding arm, the bloody rags. Grant would be much more concerned over Sam's current bleeding if it weren't for the fact that no one else seemed to care. Even Sam himself had acted as though he'd almost forgotten. _Almost._

Sam grabbed the beer bottle Dean had picked up a minute ago and washed his finished stitching. He hissed in pain and stood up, handing the bottle back to Dean. The room was completely silent, save for the air conditioning kicking on.

"Carter, just go on your date," Sam granted as he picked up a clean towel. He pressed it to his arm.

"Dude, what the hell?" Dean challenged.

"I'm tired, man. I don't feel like dealing with her whining all night, do you?"

Ignoring his last remark, Carter smiled wide and ran to Sam, throwing her arms around his neck. "Thank you thank you thank you! You're the best, Sam!"

Sam chuckled as he returned the hug. "No problem. Just be back by eleven."

Carter nodded and turned to Dean, ready for him to bitch and moan and tell her Sam wasn't the boss. Instead, he agreed. A night without his pain-in-the-ass little sister would be a well-deserved calm one. "No drinking, no bars, no wild parties; basically don't do anything I would do. Got it?" Dean commanded.

Carter nodded. "Yes, sir." She gave him a quick hug and grabbed her old boots. Quickly, she crammed them on and grabbed her stuff. She moved to the door, Grant following behind her.

"Thank you for allowing me to bring your sister out," Grant thanked and Carter opened the door.

Dean nodded. But before the couple left out the door, he called, "Hey, Grant, you do anything to my little sister, I'll make sure your last few hours are as painful as possible. Got it?" His demand prompted Carter to roll her eyes and Grant to swallow nervously; he'd no doubt Dean would do just that.

Protecting little sisters was all in the job title of being the big brother, right?

* * *

What did you think? Leave me a comment or send me a pm, either would be fantastic! I also am taking suggestions for future chapters, if you have any ideas. I love hearing them! Speaking of, this chapter was inspired by the amazing Jenmm31. Thank you so much!

See you all next week!


	9. Glimpses From Normal

Hey everyone! Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate and Happy Thursday to those who don't! This chapter centers around Thanksgiving and involves the character Grant from the previous chapter. If you don't remember, Grant Anderson is a wealthy senior in high school with brown hair; the rest was pretty much left up to your imaginations. My apologies for not posting last week; this chapter and all of my school work took up my time and I couldn't get another chapter written. Plus, my laptop has been on the fritz for the past few weeks so I've been using my phone to type everything up. Anyway, if this chapter isn't up to par, I'm really sorry.

Additional note: In the pilot episode right before the cops confront Dean about his fake credit cards, he calls Sam and tells him something along the lines of, "5-0, take off." In general, it means the cops are coming. I used this reference in this chapter, so I thought I'd explain for those of you who didn't know/remember.

Disclaimer: Oh boy do I wish I owned them.

Ages:

Carter: 16

Dean: 29

Sam: 25

Takes place somewhere in season 4

Enjoy!

* * *

The job had always come first. Not school, not health, not the weather. It was always the job. You broke both your legs? You can still research. You have a major test tomorrow? People are dying, and you're worried about a test? There's a hurricane brewing? Well, there's a monster killing just as many.

The job had always been first, will always be first, and won't ever go away. So it wasn't a surprise when the Winchester's Thanksgiving was being forgotten. No, not forgotten. More like over looked. A nest of vampires were just across the state border terrorizing the travelers. Dean and Sam had been watching them for days, trying to locate their nest. When they finally found it, Thanksgiving had befallen the country. It was already noon time when they finished killing all the vamps. Sam, Dean, and Carter were all cut up and bruised and tired.

Driving back to their motel was silent. Dean's head was pounding so he didn't dare turn on the music. When Carter guessed he had a concussion, he just groaned and ignored her. Sam sat in the passenger seat with his head resting against the seat, sound asleep. Carter was in the back, texting back and forth with her boyfriend, Grant. They'd been together for two months now, upon Carter's requests to Dean. The only reason they were staying in town was because Carter kept finding her brothers local cases. They always moved where the cases were; it's like they followed the buffalo. The buffalo move, they move. She didn't want to leave, she really liked Grant. And for the most part, his family liked Carter and more importantly he liked Carter. What was the point in leaving? But of course, that answer would always lay with their job.

It always came back to the job.

* * *

"You still going to your boyfriend's house?" Dean asked when they were almost back to their motel.

Grant had invited Carter to join his family for Thanksgiving. After he'd heard that her family doesn't usually celebrate it, he insisted she join his. Carter became nervous when he said his whole family would be at his house. Whole family as in aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. Carter had met his immediate family (two sisters, two parents) last month so _they_ weren't a problem. It was everyone else. She always had a problem with families. They always asked a lot of questions, wanted to get way too personal, and had many inside jokes. Plus, she could never keep track of who was who. Maybe it was just because of Carter's small family; maybe only having two brothers made everything else seem so scary. Whatever the reason, the fact remained that Carter was scared.

"Yeah, I guess so. Nothing else to do, right?" She asked rhetorically.

"Probably won't get to a diner anytime soon with Mr. Comatose over there," Dean nodded in Sam's direction. His eyes were still closed and his arm still laying on his stomach. For most holidays, the Winchesters tried to get to a diner for a big meal. Since they couldn't ever have a homemade meal, diner food was the next best thing. But this year, that didn't look like it was happening.

Dean pulled into the motel parking lot five minutes later. As the car shut off, Sam stirred and awoke. They all got out and grabbed their things, walking into the room. Sam immediately went to his bed and flipped down on it, already asleep. He didn't even bother taking off his shoes or bloody clothes. Carter went to her duffel and pulled out her nicest clothes. She called to Dean that she was going to take a shower and Dean called back for her to wake him when she was ready to go.

"You don't have to drive me, Dean, you're exhausted."

"It's fine, I want to know where you'll be, anyway," Dean replied and Carter shrugged. She walked into the bathroom to get ready for battle. Or dinner, if you prefer.

* * *

Carter sat in the Impala and stared up at the giant house. All of the lights on the first floor were on and seemed to glow happily, cheerfully. The driveway was full so Dean had to park on the street. Dean shut the Impala off and looked over at his sister. She looked tiny in the passenger seat compared to Sam who usually sat there. He sat and watched her, every few seconds looking up at the house.

It was three o'clock in the afternoon in the woods, and there were no other cars on the road. The air was cold, but bearable. The weather for later mentioned possible snow flurries and that stuck in the minds of children. Due to the snow, the sky was dark and sunless. The trees around the car were all naked; their leaves had fallen weeks ago.

Carter took a deep breath and turned towards her brother. "I better go in," she said softly, reaching for her purse on the floor.

"You want me to walk you in?" Dean asked, hoping she would say yes. While Carter had met Grant's family, Dean had not.

She took another glance at the house and shook her head. "Nah, I'm fine," she reached for the door handle. "I'll have Grant take me back to the motel."

"You sure? I can pick you up, no trouble."

"Yeah, you need your beauty sleep," she laughed as she took in his bruised face. Dean smiled. "I'll see you later." She opened the door and got out, pausing before shutting the door and walking up the drive. Six unfamiliar cars sat in the circular drive, along with Grant's family's three. Carter weaved in and out, stretching up to the front steps. She climbed them and rang the doorbell once. Dean's car turned on but he let it sit. The white door opened to Grant's smiling face.

"Hey!" He called and gave a kiss to his girlfriend. She smiled and returned the kiss. Grant moved aside so she could walk in and Carter threw a wave to Dean. His Impala roared down the road as she stepped inside.

The first thing to smack her was the heat. It was obviously turned up high; she shed her jacket quite quickly. The second thing to hit her was the noises. Before Grant even led her into the living room, she could hear laughing and lots of talking. Carter took off her shoes and left her bag by the door. She grabbed Grant's hand and they walked into the living room. Nine or so kids stood in the middle of the room all playing some kind of game, two men stood off to the side talking, a young couple sat on a couch directing some parts of the game, and an elderly man sat in a big armchair.

"Carter!" Annie, Grant's 12 year old sister, cried out and gave her a rib crushing hug.

"Hey, Annie," Carter managed to get out and Annie released her. Whenever Carter visited the Anderson household, Annie held a tendency to always be near. She adored Carter, always wanted to do something with her. Most times, Grant would relent and allow his baby sister to join their movie or their snack. Carter never minded so what would be the problem with it? She had always wanted a younger sibling, and a younger sister was even better. Maybe she just needed a little girl time. Who knows?

She ran back over to the game and they all continued to play. They stood around in a crooked circle and the man from the couple on the couch called out "Simon says" moves. Grant found Carter's hand again.

"These are all my cousins; there's nine of them," Grant pointed at the kids gathered in the middle of the room. "The oldest cousin, Dax, and his wife Amelia," Grant pointed at the young couple on the couch. "His sister, Kaylee, is helping out in the kitchen. Those are my uncles, Cliff and Brian," he pointed to the men standing off to the side. "And that's my Grandpa. Everyone else is helping set everything up in the kitchen."

Carter nodded. "You've got quite a big family."

"Yeah, it's actually pretty small compared to my mom's side of the family. She's one of seven. My dad only has three sisters."

"Wow," Carter laughed.

"Yeah," Grant agreed. Carter often wished she could have an extended family. That simply wasn't an option on her dad's side of the family, but it could still be one on her mom's. She didn't know much about her mom, let alone her family. So who was to say she didn't have twenty cousins?

"Wanna go sit down?" Grant asked and Carter agreed. He led her to the love seat next to his cousin and sat down. Carter scooted next to him and pulled in her legs. Grant's arm wrapped around her body and she leaned on his chest.

"Oh, I'm so tired, I could fall asleep right now," Carter moaned.

Grant looked down at her. "What time did you go to bed last night? I know you texted me at one in the morning."

"I didn't."

"What? Why not?" Grant asked with concern.

Carter looked over at the game and pulled her legs in closer, partially laying them on Grant. "My brothers needed my help with something. I couldn't just say no."

Their conversation was cut short by a three year old little blonde girl running up to them. Or rather, she bounced. She had a giant smile on her face. "Grantie, come play with us!"

"I don't really want to play right now, Jojo," Grant declined. Carter looked between her boyfriend and little Jojo.

"What are you playing?" Carter asked sweetly.

Jojo looked over at Carter like she didn't realize she was there. She probably _didn't_ know she was there. "Simon says. But Dax is Simon because we don't have a Simon," she replied enthusiastically.

Carter chuckled. "Sounds like fun. Can I play?" Jojo nodded her head vehemently and cried out happily. She jogged back to the group satisfied. Carter sat up and smiled. She stood up and grabbed Grant's arm to pull him up.

"I thought you were tired?"

"Nah, I always have time for games," she smiled.

The couple walked over to the group and both looked down on the kids. They started playing and it took Carter no time to learn her way around it. Having two older brothers around allowed Carter to play this game in a different context. You know, "Simon says stops bothering me. Simon says be quiet. Simon says do your homework." Poor kid never had real competition. They played three rounds of Simon Says before Grant wanted to quit.

"I'm hungry," Grant pulled Carter aside and they headed towards the kitchen. "My mom put out appetizers before you got here, but there's bound to be some left." Carter nodded and they walked hand in hand to the kitchen. Mrs. Anderson, four other younger women, an older lady, and two men were in the kitchen and dining room. Some of them were picking up silverware and plates and bustling them into the dining room, others were getting food ready. Silently, Grant led Carter over to the breakfast table where a small array of appetizers sat. Grant grabbed a plate and starting shoving everything onto it. Carter gazed out at the flurry of people, mesmerized. She had never had a real, home cooked thanksgiving meal before. And she definitely had never seen the behind the scenes part either. Grant grabbed a small biscuit and handed it to Carter. Drawing out of her gaze, she took it and ate it slowly. She honestly hadn't realize how hungry she was.

Grant finished stacking his plate and turned towards everyone. Mr. Anderson and another man walked into the kitchen empty handed. Mr. Anderson walked to a china cabinet while the other man walked towards Grant and Carter.

"Save some for the rest of us, will ya Grant?" The man chuckled. Grant put down his fork and swallowed.

He laughed. "Hey, you guys had your chances with the food, I came back for seconds." The man smiled and shifted his gaze towards Carter. The first thing Carter noticed about the man was his smile. Wide, bright, and genuine. Genuine as in it wasn't in pain, mocking horror, or anything else she was used to. He was truly happy. Grant put his arm around Carter and pulled her into his warm body. "Carter, this is my Uncle Eddy. Uncle Eddy, this is my girlfriend, Carter."

Carter smiled politely. "Hi, nice to meet you." She stuck out her hand and he shook it greatly.

"You too," he let go and stood akimbo. "So how'd you two meet? You go to the same school?"

Carter looked up at Grant and noticed he was hesitant. Carter chuckled softly and turned towards his uncle. "We met in detention, actually." She knew everyone thought she was the perfect little angel, as Grant's parents had thought so too. She also knew that Grant hardly ever got in trouble. So what everyone saw was a quiet, goody goody couple. They were right about Grant but completely wrong about Carter. Don't get me wrong, Carter was a good kid. But she wasn't afraid to stand up for herself and her family. And sometimes that meant getting in fights.

Eddy nodded slowly in shock. "In detention?" He finally said. "That's uh, unique."

"I had too many lates, so I just had one detention," Grant explained and Eddy nodded in understanding. Carter licked her lips and looked down, hoping he wouldn't ask why she was in detention. The whole "I got into a fight with a classmate" wouldn't exactly go over well.

Eddy put his hand on Carter's shoulder. "These Andersons," he explained, "hardly ever get in trouble. It's quite unheard of." Carter smiled and nodded her head. She chuckled because she had already figured that out. The whole family reeked of skeleton-free closet. It was a little unnerving.

Eddy nodded his goodbyes and walked off to help Grant's father finish setting the table. Grant picked up his fork and set back to work on his pile of food. Carter stood quietly next to him, allowing him to pig out. After finishing the food, the couple went back out into the living room and sat back down on the couch. They watched all the kids playing and even led a few games themselves. At around five, a call from the kitchen announced that dinner was ready. The whole menagerie of kids and adults streamed into the dining room. The kids were directed to sit at the separate table and the adults sat around the main table. Carter and Grant were permitted to sit at the big kids table, luckily. Carter didn't want to have to chat with three year olds the whole dinner. Grant pulled Carter to the far side of the table and sat down. Next to Carter on her right sat Grant's 20 year old cousin, Kaylee, who seemed nice enough. Grant's grandparents filled up the heads of the table and everyone else streamed in the other seats.

Carter looked around and took a deep breath; this was where she could blow everything. Everyone could start to hate her, they could find out about her past, find out about hunting, find out about anything that she didn't want them to. A little over dramatic, but when you had too many things to not share, sometimes things let slip. And that would be bad; a very hard mess to mop up.

Carter looked back around at everyone and saw they all had begun to grab food. They all scooped things onto their plates and passed the bowls to their left. Suddenly, Kaylee placed a bowl of green beans in her hands. Carter looked over at Grant in confusion, her eyebrows raised.

"It's a tradition," Grant answered once he noticed her scared look. "We grab a bowl and pass all the food to our left; it's how we get the food to everyone."

Carter nodded in understanding. She scooped a small spoonful of green beans onto her plate and passed it to Grant. Another bowl was placed in her hands and continued on until everyone had what they wanted. After all had what they needed, temporary quiet set in. They all set out to take their first bites of the delicious meal. At her first bite, Carter sunk into her chair in happiness; it was the best food she'd ever tasted. She took another couple bites and soft talking erupted over the table. The woman across from Carter took a drink of her wine and looked Carter's way.

"So, Carter is it?" She asked and Carter looked up. "I'm Cindy."

Carter smile politely. Mentally, she took a deep breath. This was her first test and she was damned if she couldn't pass it. "Nice to meet you." Talking began all over the table and the kid's table was much louder. It seemed, luckily, as no one else was listening in on their conversation.

"So, tell me something about yourself. Do you do a sport? Clubs?" Cindy asked.

Carter licked her lips. "Actually, no. My family just moved here two months ago and I haven't had time to get involved in anything."

"Oh," She responded, "Then tell me something else. What about your parents? What do they do?"

Carter cleared her throat and put down her fork. Before Carter could sledgehammer the nice conversation with awkwardness, Grant cut in. "Aunt Cindy, I'm sure Carter doesn't want to talk about things like that." Grant knew that both of Carter's parents were dead. It had inevitably come up after he met her brothers. Carter lay her hand on his leg.

"It's okay," she said to him and turned confidently to the woman. "Both of my parents are dead, actually." Carter straight faced the woman. She didn't want to act upset because honestly she was tired of the sympathy, the pathetic little looks cast her way. She had had enough of it. The woman stopped eating and did exactly what she didn't want her to. Her eyes dropped along with her mouth and her head cocked slightly to the side. The all too familiar words spilled out of her mouth.

"I'm so sorry."

Carter cleared her throat and licked her lips. She set back into her food and let the conversation drop. Everyone around her continued to talk and soon Cindy was pulled into other conversations.

A minute later and Grant's cousin, Dax, asked across the table, "So, Grant, how long have you two been together?" Carter looked up at the man and then smiled softly as she looked at Grant.

Grant smiled and looked down at Carter and then up at his older cousin. "About two months now."

"Huh," He said and smiled. "Did you get to go to any of his games, Carter?" Carter smiled softly in confusion.

"Games?" She asked and looked up at Grant.

"My baseball games," He explained. "I think you went to one of them a long time ago."

"Did I?" She asked but then her face lit up. "Oh yeah! The one against Rockford, right? So I went to one of them, then." Dax nodded and smiled, the conversation over. By then, most of the food on everyone's plates was gone and eating had finished. Carter leaned back in her chair with a content smile on her face: she hadn't eaten that well in forever. Conversations were at a high now, but Carter stayed quiet. Under the table, she gripped Grant's right hand in her left. Carter looked over at the kids table as they all laughed and started pointing at something on the table.

At the ringing of the doorbell, Mrs. Anderson stood up and excused herself. Carter looked after her as she walked away and a sinking feeling set in her stomach. Mrs. Anderson composed herself as she stepped up to the door. She swung it open and smiled. The man staring back at her did not. "Can I help you?" She asked, her smile drooping as she took in the worn man. His clothes looked slept in, his canvas jacket wrinkled and looked just thrown on. His face was all cut up and there was a large bruise forming under his eye. His shoulders were set and his eyes looked alert. His composure completely contradicted his health.

"I'm here to pick up Carter," his gruff voice rumbled out.

 _Oh_. _That made sense_ , Carrie thought, because he completely matched the girl. Carter shouldn't take that the wrong way, she was a very lovely girl. But sometimes she had bruises that didn't make sense and clothes that looked ratty. (Today was a very nice change for Carter in terms of her clothes.) Carrie had often wondered what kind of family would let their little girl walk around with ripped clothing and bruised skin. It made sense, now. It was the family that walked around with it themselves.

"Right, okay, come on in," Carrie stepped back to let the man in, and shut the door behind him. "We just finished eating dinner, you sure she can't stay for dessert?" Carrie turned around and saw the man taking in her foyer. He had a look of pure awe on his face. She guessed he wasn't usually in such a big house.

"Unfortunately not."

Carrie nodded and walked in front of him, heading towards the dining room. "You can follow me." Dean followed Carrie as she led him into the dining room. Before Dean entered, the voluminous chatter hit him in the face. They stepped into the room and Dean immediately sought out his sister. Carter looked up and froze. Dean hadn't even said anything and she knew exactly what it meant.

"Sorry to interrupt," Dean apologized as many of the people were staring at him. "Carter, 5-0, let's go." Carter set her mouth in a straight line as the realization set in. She cleared her throat and stood up.

"Thank you for allowing me to join your dinner. It was very lovely," Carter announced sadly to everyone around her. She bent down and kissed Grant on the cheek and pushed her chair in. Grant stood up behind her and mumbled something about walking her out. Carter walked to Dean and he gave her an apologetic look. She ignored it and walked out of the dining room, Grant and Dean following. Carter walked to the door and grabbed her shoes. She shoved them on and grabbed her bag. Grant turned to Dean and shook his hand. He said his goodbyes and then turned to Carter. She walked two steps and cuddled into his arms. He held her tightly, not understanding exactly why she was so upset and he didn't care. He kissed the top of her head and she kissed him on the lips. Dean turned from them and opened up the door. The cold air rushed in and pulled the couple apart.

"I'll call you later," Carter suggested softly. Grant nodded and Carter turned around. She walked out the door with Dean following closely behind her. Once the door shut, Dean turned to Carter.

"Hey, sorry you had to leave your boyfriend. I know you tried hard to stay together."

Carter shrugged, trying not to think about it too much. "Just a casualty of the job, right? You can't do anything about it." Dean hung his head and mumbled agreement.

Lately, everything seemed like a casualty of the job.

* * *

What did you think? Do you have any suggestions for future chapters? Don't be afraid to leave me comments of private messages, I get back to everyone who does!

I'm not sure when I'll be able to update again, it might be in two or three weeks. As of today, I haven't any concrete idea of a chapter. I have, however, been laying around with another AU type story still involving Carter. I'll let you know what I plan to do with it if I am to do anything. It could either be a different story altogether, or I'll just post it here.

Anyway, see you all next time!


	10. Apologies for the Weary

Okay, go ahead, kill me. I deserve it for not posting in awhile. I have an excuse, okay? My Italian class has been a major thorn in my ass for the past two weeks. And through all of this, I had no idea what to write. I'm sorry, okay?

This chapter is quite short and I found it while going through my notebook one day. It centers around when Carter leaves for her job and all that happens around it. I'm trying to work on a part two-like thing. I was just going to post it all at once, but I ended up deleting a lot of it this morning, then I started feeling really bad about not posting. So be grateful that you got this much right now.

Anyway, enjoy!

Takes place before season 10

Ages:

Dean: is a demon off doing demon stuff

Sam: 31

Carter: 22

Disclaimer: As usual, I own nothing

QUICK NOTE: What is in italics is the note Carter gave to Sam

* * *

The paper note crinkled in Carter's hand as she nervously walked up to her sleeping brother. She adjusted the bag on her shoulder and quietly placed her duffel on the ground. She stepped up to the table where the man quietly slept, head down, hair over his eyes, mouth partly opened. The pages in the book he leaned on would certainly be stuck to his cheek when he sat up. She placed the folded note next to his head and chewed on her lip. Was she really doing this? Was she really leaving? His breathing wiggled an unruly piece of hair around his mouth. He looked so innocent; like nothing was wrong, nothing could ever be wrong. That was the curse of sleeping.

"I'm sorry, Sam," Carter mumbled. All of the books surrounding him were about demons and demonic possession. Everything around him was meant to help him find his lost brother. The brother who was long dead before he disappeared.

Carter slowly backed away and picked up her bag. Her eyes didn't leave her brother. Her latest words kept ringing in her brain; an endless guilt trip. She was leaving her brother when he needed her most, though he didn't act like it. When was the last time they had talked? Had even a hint of a real conversation?

"Goodbye, Sam."

He didn't stir. She turned on her heel and walked quietly out of the library and up the stairs. She opened the big door and walked through. Not daring a last glance at the bunker, she headed off down the road towards town. She had a bus to catch.

* * *

 _Dear Sam,_

As his eyes opened, he groaned in protest. The harsh light of the bunker stung his sleeping mind. He sat up and rubbed the sleep out of them, yawning in the process.

 _If you don't know yet, I'm gone._

He pushed the hair out of his face and looked around the library. Everything was just as it was when he fell asleep. His hand found his beer again and took a swig of the warm liquid.

 _Now, before you Hulk out, hear me through._

He drained what was left of the bottle and got up to grab another.

 _I've been planning this awhile. And I'm not sure if you noticed, because I'm really sly like that, but I've been taking college classes online for the past four years._

As he stood up, his eyes caught the folded white paper next to the stack of books.

 _Sammy, I found my way out of the life._

He picked up the note and started reading it as he walked into the kitchen.

 _My golden ticket._

The empty beer bottle crashed into the recycling and Sam sat down at the table with a new bottle, this time cold.

 _Two weeks ago, I got a job offer from a school to teach there. A real job, everything I could've asked for._

As he read, Sam's heartbeat increased. First his brother leaves, and now his sister?

 _No more hunting, no more stitches, no more nightmares in the dark. I'm out._

Sam was angry. Their brother's body was being controlled by a demon and Carter decided _now_ to get out of the life? What happened to being family? What happened to everything they stood for?

 _So do me a favor and don't look for me._

What happened to tear his little family apart?

 _Goodbye, Sam._

As he finished reading the letter, his heart contracted in a new way. His little sister just got what he had strived for back in Stanford. She just walked right out of it. He didn't think he had the heart to pull her back. Not yet, at least.

He took a chug of the liquid and went back to the library to research. If he couldn't have his sister, then he _had_ to save his brother.

* * *

Let me know what you think! I answer all private messages and comments! So don't be afraid :)


	11. The Howl Surrounding The Question

I know it's been forever, and for that, I'm sorry! I got a tragic case of writer's block and had no idea of what else to write for this story. None of my idea were speaking to me and it was driving me insane. Anyway, I had most of this written a long time ago and I was just able to finish it. Enjoy!

Ages:

Dean: 30

Sam: 27

Carter: 18

Takes place during season 6

Disclaimer: Supernatural doesn't belong to me, unfortunately.

* * *

The rain fell in steady waves, clashing thunderously within the motel; but Carter couldn't hear it. She laid on the bed, eyes lazily staring at the ceiling. The room around her laid in disarray; sheets pulled off beds, empty beer bottles and food containers everywhere, research papers tacked to the walls, clothes thrown in uneven heaps, garments spilling out of bags, and spare guns laying on tables. The room was a mess by everyone's standards.

Carter's eyes traced the marks on the ceiling, a tear escaping her grasp. She'd told herself a week ago that in three more months, when she graduated, she could get out of _this_ life. She wouldn't have to worry about hunting anymore; no more salt rounds, no more digging up graves, no more research into everything scary. A sob broke from Carter's lips. None of the monsters will ever go away. There will always be a crossroad with a demon nearby, always a restless spirit waiting for revenge, always vampires with blood-thirst, Pagans with a god complex. It was never ending. But why was Carter stuck with this job? Why did she have to hunt the scary? Why was it her family's responsibility?

A thunderclap shook the motel and Carter still couldn't hear it. Sobs now poured out of her body. She thought of when she first learned to shoot a gun at the tender age of five. After that lesson, before she learned to shoot, Dean explained everything. At age five, Carter was brought into hunting **.** Safety was Dean's reason why, but hunting was anything _but_ safe. It was broken bones, concussions, and death. It was being too scared to fall asleep, carrying salt in your back pocket, and being able to spout exorcisms. It was exhausting, heartbreaking, and terrifying. Carter couldn't stand it anymore. She never wanted this life. But damn was she stuck with it. And it tore her heart out.

All her life, Carter wished to be normal. Small town, real job, lots of friends, _normal life_. Every new town she went to, _every damn new town_ , she believed at least for a second that that could be her final town. That finally she could make lasting friends, could actually get to know her teachers, could actually enjoy school that much more. But maybe that life wasn't supposed to be hers. Maybe she was meant for hunting. Perhaps she was born to do exactly what she was doing. But how was that fair? Who decides who hunts and who gets a normal life? Who did Carter piss off to get the short end of the stick?

Her sobs slowed as her eyes followed the wall down to the soft, flickering tv. Damn, what she wouldn't do to have a different life for a little while at least. Dean had it when he was with Lisa and Ben for a year, Sam had it when he went to college for four years. God damn it, she deserved her own time away from hunting. Maybe it wouldn't be for another four years, but it was going to happen.

Another thunderous boom rocked the room, startling Carter. She looked over towards the window and sat up. She finally knew what she had to do. It wouldn't be instant relief from her life, but it would come quick enough. Carter hopped off the bed and headed towards Sam's computer. Nobody was going to decide her life for her anymore.

* * *

Thanks for reading! I hoped you all enjoyed! Please leave comments if you get the chance, they really do help me out! If all goes according to plan (with me, this doesn't always happen, but I try to stick to my plans as much as possible), then the next will take place after "Apologies For The Weary," the chapter before this one.

If anyone has suggestions for another chapter, please let me know!


	12. The Problem With The Normals

Hello again, everyone! This chapter took a lot longer to get out than I had hoped for, but I put my all into it, so I hope you enjoy!

Ages:

C: 22

D: 35 (Demon)

S: 31

Takes place before season 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural

AN: Pinnella Pass is a fictional place that I made up. If it bears any similarity to a real place, it is by pure coincidence.

* * *

Night time was for families. For eating dinner and watching tv and finishing homework. Maybe playing a game, doing one last round of basketball, or getting started on an old book. Night time was not for traveling alone down rushing highways with fast food in your hands. It wasn't for wiping away escaping tears, hoping no one saw them. And it most definitely wasn't the time for pushing family out of your brain. But then again, when was the last time Carter was normal?

The clock in the car shined 8:17 when Carter pulled into her new place. It was a brown, two story house with a porch out front. A small garage accompanied the house and the yard was adorned with one old apple tree next to the road. According to the landlord, the neighborhood was quiet and everyone was friendly. Driving through the development, the quiet part was evident.

Carter parked her car in the driveway and looked up at the place. It was her's, more or less. She could finally live in a proper house. One not covered in Men of Letters memorabilia or dusty, old books. She could decide exactly what she wanted and where she wanted it without any complaints or decisions made by older brothers. And it would be clean. There would be no more creepy motel stains, bruised mattresses, or spiderwebs the size of heads. A real, proper house.

Carter hopped out of the car (her new, used car she bought while she was stopped in Chicago) and shut the door behind her. Her eyes continued to gaze happily up at the house. But a few seconds later, the slap of a basketball on pavement stopped her. She turned around and noticed a teenaged boy dribbling a basketball towards the tall net under the glow of his garage light. She watched him swoop the ball through the net and continue dribbling it around by himself.

Carter turned and retrieved her bags from the trunk. An old duffel bag and backpack landed in Carter's hands and she started walking towards the door of the house. Her eyes kept gazing up and around at everything she could feast her eyes on. As she walked up to the door, she pulled her key out twisted it into the lock. The door spun open and Carter peered into the vastly empty room. She stepped in and plopped her bags on the ground, shutting the door behind her. The setting sun cast a low light through the windows, creating more silence in the room. Carter reached to turn the light on and the room lit up, magnifying the living room and kitchen. The stairs stood to her right, heading up to the two bedrooms and bathrooms.

Her heart palpitated with thoughts of all she could do with the place and her mind

whispered how happy she was. Later that night, while she was laying on the floor of her bedroom, she would think of nothing but the fact that she was at least half normal now. And if that was as far as she could go, then it was good enough for her.

* * *

It was the next day, when Carter was leaving her house for essentials, that she met her first neighbor. Her backpack slapping her back, she shut her door behind her and headed towards her car. She unlocked the car door and was about to open it when a voice across the street stopped her. She recognized the house it came from, as it was where the boy was playing basketball last night.

"Hey there!" The guy shouted as he shut his mailbox and put up the flag. He looked quickly both ways and walked across the street. "Hi!" He laughed and waved a little, "I'm Toby, I live across the street." Carter watched the man with cautious curiosity.

As he got closer, Carter gave him a little smile and stuck out her hand. "Hi, I'm Carter." Toby shook her hand and put his hands on his hips.

"Oh, my wife would kill me if she knew I met you before she did. Ever since we found out the Stevensons were renting out this old place, my wife dreamed about meeting the family that would move in and she wanted to bring them cookies or some other baked good. In fact, I think she's in the kitchen right now cooking some blueberry muffins to bring over," Toby rambled, leaving Carter a little winded. Sure, she expected to have neighbors and she expected to have to talk to them. She just didn't expect them to be so Mister Rogers. "My son has been asking and hoping for a kid his age but I told him not to get his hopes up, you know?" he laughed and Carter chuckled out of politeness. "Anyway, I have to get going. The wife is making me clean out the garage. It was nice meeting you. I'm sure I'll see you around sometime." He stuck his hand out and shook Carter's again.

"Of course," Carter responded softly and Toby turned back and headed into his house. Carter licked her lips and turned towards her car. She opened the door and threw her bag into the passenger's seat. She took one last glance at her neighbor and got into the car.

Driving through town, Carter smiled. Her mind started to spin of all the things she would need to get at the store just to survive well enough to not fall apart in her new place. She was in no way getting any furniture or decorations for a long time. She was living off a teacher's salary and money won from hustling pool. No more could she run credit card scams or anything of the like. She had to be completely legal for now and going forwards. The last thing she needed was to be fired from her job for being her old self.

Turning into the store parking lot, Carter parked the car and hopped out. She walked into the super store and headed towards the food section first. She grabbed all the essentials: milk, eggs, bread, large container of salt, ramen noodles, cheese, canned food, a couple cases of beer, and some little snacks. Then she headed to the paper aisle and grabbed paper towels, toilet paper, paper plates, and plastic silverware; along with a hop over to grab detergent and dryer sheets. Next, she headed to the camping aisle to grab an air mattress, as she wasn't going to have a regular mattress for a while. Then she grabbed bath towels, a pillow, bed sheets, a shower curtain, and some important kitchen utensils. Lastly, she headed towards the school supplies section. Since school was starting in a week, she desperately needed to get some supplies. She wasn't all that worried about lesson plans and assignments because she had been planning them ever since she got the job back in June. Carter just held off on moving because she knew she couldn't leave Sam alone and desperately searching for Dean. Carter grabbed a planner, a couple packets of pens and pencils, one packet of highlighters, a pack of sticky notes, and a bunch of other little items. She thumbed through the sale items and collected cheap notebooks and folders. Satisfied with everything she got, she headed towards checkout and then out to the car.

The ride home was short and she found herself parked back in her driveway. Distractedly, she grabbed her backpack and hopped out of the car, heading to the trunk. She popped the trunk and was about to grab her bags when a voice cried out from across the street. Looking up, she muttered a little curse as a woman in flip flops walked the yard across the street carrying a container of what she could only assume were blueberry muffins. The woman, no doubtedly, being Toby's wife. Carter turned towards the woman and decided this was her only chance at making nice with her neighbors. She didn't have the chance with Toby, seeing as he talked enough for the both of them. Her mind figured word would travel fast in a community like this, and bad words would not work good for her reputation; both at home and at work.

The woman had crossed the street by now and slapped onto the driveway. She wore a smile and denim shorts, her hair up in a bun and makeup done. Carter then realized what she must look like. She hadn't been able to use the washer and dryer at her house because she didn't have anything to wash with; therefore her clothes hadn't been washed in almost a week. She was pretty sure there was a blood stain and rip on one of the knees and she was damn near sweating through her tshirt. In hindsight, she realized it would have been smarter to wear her shorts instead, but habit forced her to wear pants. Carter wasn't even going to start thinking about her hair; it always preferred knots, anyway.

As the woman got closer, she smiled again and stuck out her hand, "Hi, I'm Stella from across the street." Carter smiled politely and shook her hand. She stated her own name back and crossed her arms across her chest, her backpack slung across one shoulder. Stella held up the container in her hands towards Carter. "As a welcome to the neighborhood, I've baked you and your family some blueberry muffins."

Carter uncrossed her arms with a smile and accepted the muffins. "Thank you, they look great. But, um, it's just me living here," Carter responded softly.

Stella hardly missed a beat. She still smiled and waved her arm dismissively. "Well, all the same!" She smiled and continued, "Also, I have taken the honor of inviting you to the neighborhood's end of the year block party. It's in two days at noon down the road at the French's house. They have a pool, a sprinkler, the annual water balloon fight, a basketball hoop, and a bunch of fun games to play. It's a bbq, and a lot of people like to bring food, but it's definitely not required. Festivities tend to last all day, but certainly not everyone stays that long."

Carter blinked in surprise as the woman in front of her went on about the party. One day into her new life and she was already being invited to a party. She honestly couldn't remember the last time she'd been invited to a party. As the woman stopped talking, Carter smiled and thanked her for the invitation. Stella bid her adieu and left back across the street to her home. Carter placed the muffins in one of her shopping bags and set about bringing them all in. All the while, her mind thought of the block party and her heart swam of nervousness and happiness.

* * *

The next two days consisted of getting her house organized, lesson planning, getting ready for school, visiting her new school, and exploring her new town. It wasn't as small as some of her previous schools she'd been to, but it wasn't as large as some others. It was the perfect size for her.

Five minutes after noon, Carter walked down the street towards the French's house. She didn't know exactly which one it was going to be, she just figured she'd watch where everyone else went, and then whichever one was the most crowded. It turned out to be just three houses down from Stella and Toby's house. Carter turned onto the driveway and followed a couple walking to the back of the house, where it seemed most of the noise was coming from. The couple's three kids took off towards a group of kids once they reached the back and Carter slowed her speed as she took in the scene. People and their families were everywhere. There were kids and teenagers jumping in the pool, little kids and toddlers hopping the sprinkler, moms surrounding the food table, dads with beers working the grill, and other people were sitting down at the tables under a canopy. Carter stood where she was, not quite sure where she fit in. She hadn't brought a swimsuit (mostly because she didn't own one), she wasn't a mom, she most certainly wasn't a dad, and everyone sitting down had someone to talk to. Deciding to go with the lesser of the evils, she headed towards the moms at the food table.

As she neared the table, Stella looked up and noticed Carter heading her way. "Oh, good! You made it! Everyone, this is our new neighbor, Carter," Stella cried as Carter reached the table. Stella went around the table and introduced everyone. They said their hellos and two women walked back off towards the kitchen, leaving Stella and two other moms.

"So tell us about yourself, Carter. What do you do, where are you from?" One younger looking woman trailed off, biting into a carrot and watching Carter. The other two women looked over and wondered themselves.

But suddenly Carter felt like she was 16 and starting a new school all over again. The nervousness of her first day, of hoping she doesn't make a wrong move and have everyone hate her or have everyone think she's weird. It happened way too many times before and this time it would be permanent. She was actually looking for a life here, not a pitstop.

Carter licked her lips and smiled, "I moved here from Kansas and got the job as the new mythology teacher at the local high school." The woman that asked nodded her head.

"Any reason you picked Pinnella Pass, New York?" The other lady asked snarkily, chuckling and looked at her friends, "I mean, we aren't exactly a 'big dreams' kind of school."

Carter's mood lessened and she crossed her arms. "There was a need for a mythology teacher, and I just so happened to qualify for the job. The fact that the job was in a small town in New York had nothing to do with me accepting the job offer." Carter failed to mention that the fact that it was nearly 20 hours away from her brothers helped all that much more.

Changing the subject, Stella spoke up. "My son, Mason, is taking that class this year, I believe," She smiled and Carter looked over at her, happy for the change of tone. "He told me he really enjoyed the class last year and was looking forward to taking level two this year. I'm sure he would love to meet you sometime today."

Carter nodded, "I would love that, too."

A middle aged lady walked out from the kitchen carrying a covered dish and announced, "Food is ready!" Everyone started their way towards the food table and grabbed everything they wanted. After grabbing her food and a beer from a nearby cooler, she headed towards an empty seat at the far side of the yard. She watched all the people in between her bites. She took mental note of who talked to whom, who's child belong to whom, and who avoided whom. Many of the older kids and some younger ones took the seats by the pool. One woman walked around carrying a baby and two teenaged girls had a five year old watching their every move. A couple not much younger than Carter sat near a group of much older adults and two old men sat next to each other gabbing.

Nobody was acting suspicious. Nobody exhibited characteristics of any kind of monster. Everyone was doing what they normally did at parties. Talked, ate, had fun, and appeared to not have any care in the world. It was simple. It was homely. It was welcoming.

It was not Carter.

* * *

Later that night, long after the sun had kissed everyone goodbye, Carter made her way back to her house. A beer in her hand, she walked down the road. She was a mere three houses away from her own, yet the walk seemed so long. Her left hand in her pocket, she watched the dark sky. So many stars blinked in and out, screaming, calling for the attention of a little human on a little planet. Carter gleefully accepted the show.

Her mind inched back to a time when her brothers parked next to an abandoned field and drug Carter from her sleeping state. They had been traveling for hours and clearly needed a break from the cramped quarters. The brothers grabbed beers from the trunk and sat down on the Impala. Carter nestled in between them and watched as the sky talked. There had been a lot more stars at that time due to the fact that it was in the middle of nowhere with hardly any light pollution. None of them said any words that night; nothing had to be said.

But Carter wasn't in the middle of nowhere on a lost highway. She was alone in a big, busy town. She had nobody for herself despite everyone being around her.

When she accepted the job offer, she expected to have a million instant friends and a community behind her. It just made sense to her that the part of her that was holding her back from real friendships was that she didn't have a permanent home. And that when she got a permanent home, all new friends would just fall in line. Add to that the fact that hunting was no longer a priority in her life. She was real, she was permanent, and she was finally free.

But nothing was going her way.

So as she stared up at the glittering sky, she couldn't help but think back to when she had everything she needed, despite not knowing it at the time. She just knew it was too late to get it all back again. Isn't that how things went in her family?

She took the last sip of her beer and sighed. At least she could say she was normal now.

* * *

Let me know what you thought of this chapter! I answer all comments and PMs and am trying to get to all my requests. I'm not sure which will be posted next, but it may take awhile to get it up. Thank you and talk to you next time!

Oh, and 32 follows?! That's amazing! Thank you all so much, I really appreciate it!


	13. The Happiness in the Dark

Hello everybody! I'm so sorry it took so long to get another chapter out; it has been a very long and busy year for me. I did manage to get a separate story out during winter, though! If you haven't checked it out, it's called "Mixed in With Melancholy." It's a crossover between Supernatural and Bones and it includes Carter! So if that sounds interesting to you, go ahead and check it out!

This chapter is a little different as it focuses more around John than Carter. But she does make an appearance!

Enjoy!

Ages:

Carter: 3

Dean: 16

Sam: 12

Takes place before the show starts

Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural

* * *

John pulled up to a stop sign, wiping the mud from his brow. He took two breaths and eased his car onto a dirt road. Around him was silent. The radio was off, the back seat was empty, no cars passed him by. When John had pulled out of the graveyard twenty minutes ago, the lack of cars had shocked him. The last time he checked his watch it was only eleven at night; it was now three in the morning on a Monday night.

Traveling along the road, John thought back on the night's events. He had spent the afternoon in the library, so his night consisted of a drive-through and casing the local cemetery. When the cemetery closed and the gate was locked, he grabbed his shovel and jumped the fence, searching awhile before he found the headstone he was looking for. And then the hard work began when he dug up the grave, salted and burned the bones, and then put the grave back to its former glory.

He was exhausted, wanting only to climb into his own bed and sleep the next day away. A warm shower didn't even seem appealing to him right then. But his boots were coated in mud and his ankles weren't being shy to the sludge either. His fingers had brown crescents underneath the mud-coated nails. He was pretty sure he even had some mud in his hair, though the reason why wasn't exactly clear. But all he wanted to see right now was a bed.

* * *

The 67 Chevy Impala pulled in next to a weathered hunter's cabin. John had mooched the place off an old friend for a couple months so he didn't have to fork over more money to crappy motels. Granted, this cabin wasn't a spa and resort, but it was much better than any motel he had stayed in.

It had its faults, of course; it wouldn't be a hunter's cabin without them. Like the cobwebs in all the corners, the weeds growing everywhere, the lumpy mattresses, the casual hungry mouse, the dust on every countertop. It was all undesirable, but it was still livable. Plus, it was his kids who had to spend their time in the cabin, not him. And they should be used to it by now. They should know that a luxury cabin, hell even a decent cabin, was not something he could swing. Kids were good at adapting anyway, right?

But Dean wasn't a kid anymore. He'd turned 16 at the beginning of the year and was already acting it. Whenever a case called John, Dean obediently stayed behind and watched his younger siblings. Even when John came home, the responsibility of the younger two still fell on Dean's shoulders. Only when cases were solved did John get a chance to take care of kids; making Dean the one looked after, instead of the other way around for a little while.

The older man climbed out of his car, sighs and groans emitting from him as he did so. As the car door shut, the quiet world around him fell. Being far up on the mountain, no cars ventured near and the cabins were within miles of each other. The only noises came from nature itself. The chirp of the crickets, the low hoot of an owl, the croak of a tree frog.

John walked to the door of the house and paused, looking up through the trees to try to find the moon, a habit he had formed years ago. He found it tucked behind a wispy cloud, only half of it visible.

A minute later he tore his eyes away from the sky and unlocked the cabin door. The darkness of the house greeted him. He flicked on the kitchen light and stripped his boots off, mud flying everywhere as he did so. The cuckoo clock in the living room chimed four in the morning. Several takeout containers lay on the counters and Carter's toys were scattered around the floor. Three army men were propped up on the counter pointing towards the front door as if they were protecting it.

John looked up as the kids' bedroom door slowly opened, his three year old's face appearing in the light. She shut the door behind her, yawning and rubbing her eyes as she did so. When she spotted her dad by the door, she softly called out, "Daddy!" and she ran towards him.

Smiling, the man scooped his daughter up into his arms. After a moment, she pulled back and they both looked each other in the eyes. She didn't seem to care that mud was caked into his jacket.

"What're you doing up so late?"

"Deany said you were coming home tonight so I said I would stay up and wait for you, but Deany said no, but I said yes, and Deany said nooooo," Carter replied, softly rubbing her eye, "so I thoughted up a plan and I only _pretended_ to go to sleep when Deany was asleep and then I played with my toys until I heard your car and then I came out to see you!" She hugged her father again and audibly yawned.

John chuckled. "You tricked Dean and stayed up all night, huh? And your brothers are still asleep?" Carter pulled back to look at John and nodded with an open smile, but she quickly changed to concern.

Her voice went down in an attempt at whispering, "Yes, but you gotta be quiet, we can't wake Deany and Sammy up or they'll be mad."

He smiled and whispered back, "Yeah, we don't want to wake them up, do we?" Carter shook her head. "Alright, well let's get you back in bed; your yawning is starting to make me yawn." John yawned quietly as he plopped his tiny daughter on the ground and steered her back towards her bedroom she shared with her brothers. A foot short of her door she stopped.

"No, Daddy, can I sleep in your bed?" She looked up at her father, her eyes pleading.

And he agreed, despite being tired and dirty and sore. He agreed because while he was working his ass off and saving lives, his son was watching his younger kids and his daughter was planning to spend all night waiting for her daddy to come home. He agreed because even though he was exhausted, it was something that could make his daughter happy. And in this life, happiness was rare to come upon.

Plus, who could resist her puppy dog eyes? She undoubtedly learned them from Sam.

As they stalked off to John's bedroom, Carter held her father's hand; her small hand covering only a small portion of his. As they entered the room, Carter let go and flung herself on the messy bed, crawling herself towards the pillows. A few minutes later, she was fast asleep. John slipped off his muddied clothes and into pajamas before climbing into the bed himself. A few seconds later, he himself had fallen fast asleep.

In the end, it didn't matter what the place looked like. As long as he could be happy, it would be good enough for him.

* * *

Thanks so much for reading! I read all of your comments and suggestions and take them all into careful consideration! If you've already recommended a chapter, I promise it's in the works as we speak! They're just taking longer than I expected.

Remember to check out "Mixed in with Melancholy" if it sounds like it could be in your wheelhouse!

Talk to you next time!


	14. The Dirt Under Her Nails

Hello and welcome back everyone! This chapter was suggested by TamashinoSuzume, so thank you for the suggestion! If you want to suggest a chapter, comment on this chapter or PM me your suggestion!

This chapter was written in two points of view (POV). First is Carter and then its Marissa, a senior that attends the high school Carter teaches at.

C: 23

S: 32

D: 36

Season: 11

This is Carter's second year of teaching

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural

* * *

~Carter's POV~

She was exhausted. Hell, she was one push away from screwing the whole day and just going home to sleep for 24 hours straight. She was beat. But the last thing she could do was take it out on her students. She did, after all, sign herself up for this. No one put a gun to her head and forced her to get an education and a job. It would actually be more realistic if someone put a gun to her head to _not_ do it. She had no one to blame but herself. She did have to give it to herself, though; this was never the initial plan.

The initial plan was to attend online classes and still hunt, but as soon as she graduated and became a teacher, she would be done hunting forever. She didn't want to have to deal with any more monsters or hunters or anything related to the life. Especially since she would already be preoccupied with grading papers and planning lessons. She wouldn't have time to also research monsters and hunt them down.

The thing that brought her back, though, the straw the broke her camel, was the relief. There's nothing like killing monsters to get all your frustrations out. And after six months of teaching high school kids and living in suburbia, she needed the relief.

It was inevitable she would return to hunting, whether she would have liked to admit it or not.

* * *

~Marissa's POV~

Five months, three days, twelve hours, and 36 seconds until she was finally done with this school and done being the history department's bitch. If she had known the history teachers would be so needy, she never would have signed up to be their TAs. All she had done the past two weeks was grade papers and make endless copies every free minute she had. She barely had time to do her own work anymore. She was already knee-deep in swim season, so it wasn't like she had time after school to do it.

She didn't even want to have to think about her college applications. She had sent everything in well over a month ago and still hadn't heard anything back. It was driving her crazy not knowing their decision.

Not even spring break could save her from the hell she was enduring right now.

* * *

~Carter's POV~

Her teaching bag over one shoulder, left hand pushing a cart full of books, and a to-go coffee cup in her right hand, she made her way down the hallway towards her class. She walked slower than normal, a fact she tried to hide as much as possible. During her last never-ending hunt, she had twisted her right ankle trying to regain her weapon. It was definitely sorer in the morning light.

The late bell was close to ringing when Carter finally reached her class. The door was propped open, so she pushed the cart in and called to her class, "Good morning! Good morning!" Her usual greeting out of the way, she stopped the cart at the front of the class and walked to her desk. She lifted her right foot off the ground slightly as she stood there, relieving the pressure as she deposited her bag on the desk, her coffee cup next to it. She looked up at her students to determine who was here, and if anything was going on with them. Many of them continued talking and a few students still streamed into the room, no doubtedly coming from a class across the school.

Sighing, Carter sat down in her chair and pulled out her laptop, opening up the attendance sheet and her lesson plans. She took a sip of coffee as the late bell rang and stood up.

"Alright, everyone ready?"

* * *

~Marissa's POV~

Coming from a class just down the hall, Marissa was always one of the earlier students to her Mythology 1 class. She sat near the front, the side closest to the door. From her seat, she got a perfect view of everyone in the class.

She pulled out her phone while she waited; she answered various text messages and checked social media accounts. When one of her friends, Bridget, walked in, she stopped briefly to say hi and ask about homework.

When Ms. Winchester walked in, her phone went away instinctively.

When she did her normal greeting, Marissa sat forward and watched the woman walk across the room. She seemed … different? Yes, definitely different. Marissa leaned her arms on the desk and watched as Ms. Winchester sat down at her desk and took out her laptop.

Marissa had met Ms. Winchester the first day of school that year and from the beginning, Marissa had an odd feeling about her. She could never pinpoint exactly what she felt was off or what might be different about her and it drove her crazy. She started feeling guilty about it, too, after awhile. In all these months she hadn't found anything and she felt bad for thinking there could be anything different. What gave her the right to judge other people over something she didn't even have evidence about? But today seemed different. The childhood detective in her kicked in with violent force. She was determined to find that special thing about Ms. Winchester.

As Ms. Winchester started the class, most kids quieted down and a few turned back around to face the front. Ms. Winchester reached into her bag and pulled out a stack of clipped-together papers and announced, "Today we are starting our projects on our chosen deities. So if you could pull out your paper that has your deity on it, that'd be great." She walked to the farthest row of students from her and started passing papers back. As she walked across the front of the room, Marissa immediately noticed her limping. She blindly took out her paper while keeping both eyes on her teacher.

Ms. Winchester was wearing a high-cut long-sleeved sweater with black pants and some kind of black shoe that covered the whole foot. She had her hair spilling down her back in natural waves. And as Marissa looked closer, she could see a little darkening on her jawline.

Shit.

Marissa was well acquainted with the color of a hidden bruise.

* * *

~Carter's POV~

Carter finished passing out the papers and turned around, walking back to the middle of the front of the room. "I'm not going to read this whole paper, you can read it on your own. But basically, today you are just researching your deity using the books at the front. We are _not_ using online texts today, we will do that next week. Any questions?" She paused and looked over the class; her breath trying to remain slow, due to the pain in her ankle. When no one had any questions, she continued, "Alright, you may get to work. Please be kind to these books, they're very old and well-loved. I'll be at my desk if any of you have any questions." She turned around and happily sat back down in her seat. She crossed her legs, trying to relieve some of the pain in her ankle by elevating it. She had wrapped it and iced it as well as she could last night, but it was still very much swollen. She opened up her computer and quickly submitted the attendance sheet.

Slowly, students came up to the cart to grab a book. One by one, they searched through books that may have their deity and then went back to their seats. Carter pulled out a stack of ungraded tests and took a long sip of coffee. Grading was her least favorite thing to do. It often became monotonous and sometimes saddening. She hated grading papers of students that obviously didn't understand a lesson at all. Perhaps it was because she often times _was_ that student. And it was awful feeling stupid.

* * *

~Marissa's POV~

Marissa had grabbed the book off the cart that looked like it would contain her deity. She had begun flipping through it almost absentmindedly instead of starting her research. This book was a lot to take in. It had pictures and text after text after text. The writing was old, so it took a few tries to fully understand a paragraph. And not only did the writing show the book's age, but so did its appearance. Dozens of pages had bent corners, some pages were folded clean in half, there was clear coffee and other drink stains on several pages and even down the edge of the book. As she flipped through, she found a handful of scraps of paper with little notes on them and-

Marissa froze.

As she flipped the page, the unmistakable appearance of a photo stopped her. She quickly looked up and around at the students near her to make sure they weren't watching her. When they weren't, she turned back to the photo and flipped it over in her hand, taking in the scene before her. A little girl no older than five was being held by an older teen. She had a big smile on her face as she regaled no doubt a wonderful tale and the teen stared lovingly at the child. When she flipped the photo back over, faint pencil writing caught her eye. Scrawled in the corner was, "Carter and Dean, 1997." She flipped the picture back over and took in the child's features. Her looks coupled with the name made Marissa certain this child was her teacher.

Suddenly a set of approaching footsteps behind Marissa scared her out of her trance. Without thinking, she shoved the picture into her notebook and gazed down at the book in front of her. A student passed Marissa on her left and paid no attention to the students she was passing. Marissa breathed a quiet breath of relief. She was about to pull the picture back out when the bell rang. As if awaken from a trance, all the students around looked up from their books and started packing their things up.

"Please return your books to the cart and I will see you all tomorrow!" Ms. Winchester called out from her desk. Marissa shut her book and notebook and packed all her items away. Pulling the picture out now would be impossible. She was stuck with it.

It wasn't until her lunch, four periods later, that Marissa finally got the chance to find Ms. Winchester. As she walked into the history office, the first thing that caught her eye was Ms. Winchester's desk. It was the first one in the room and faced away from the door. This allowed for the young teacher to rely on visitors announcing their presence, instead of their presence announcing the visitor.

Before knocking, Marissa stopped. Her young detective skills kicked in and she took advantage of the fact that Ms. Winchester thought she was alone. The young teacher was seated in her chair, bending down to her right side rubbing her ankle. Her pant leg was raised slightly and Marissa could see a swollen and bruised ankle peeking out. Swallowing hard, Marissa meekly raised her fist and knocked on the open door.

Immediately, Ms. Winchester sat up and turned towards the door, her attention on the new visitor. As she recognized one of her students, a small smiled spread across her face.

"Marissa, right?" She asked in a light tone. When Marissa gave her a slight nod, she continued, "What can I do for the department TA?"

Marissa took note that she did not stand from her chair, and she was grateful for it. An ankle like hers would hurt sitting down, nevermind standing up.

"I actually need to talk to you, if that's okay." She stepped farther into the room and the young teacher nodded her head.

"Of course!" She turned to her left and cleaned a stack of papers off the chair next to her. Marissa swung her bag off her shoulder and sat down in the chair, her bag sitting next to her on the floor. "What's up?"

Marissa pushed away the image of her teacher's ankle and instead focused back on the real reason she came there. She reached down into her bag and pulled her Mythology notebook out. She turned to her teacher. "I was looking through one of your books for the project and I found," she opened the notebook and pulled out the picture, "this tucked between one of the pages. I figured it belonged to you." She handed to Ms. Winchester and quickly added, "I didn't mean to take it, honest. The bell rang and I wasn't thinking; I put it into my notebook. I came down here as soon as I had a free period."

Ms. Winchester was nodding her head and she looked down at the picture. Marissa looked closer at her teacher and noticed a look she had never seen before: a look of sadness and longing.

"No, no, that's alright." She looked up at Marissa and asked, "You said it was in one of my books?" Marissa nodded and Ms. Winchester looked back down at the picture in her hands. "I must have left it in there on accident. I used to have to spend hours looking through these books nights on end. Sometimes pictures like these are what kept me going."

Marissa pocketed the information into her head, adding even more mystery to her already mysterious teacher. "Is it you?" She asked tentatively.

Ms. Winchester chuckled softly. "Yeah, this is me and my older brother, Dean. I couldn't have been more than four or five years old."

Marissa smiled and looked down at the picture and then back up at her teacher. After a moment of silence, Marissa spoke up again, this time tentatively, "Can I ask you something?" She looked at her teacher's face and hoped with all being in her body that her teacher would confide in her. She's been through her teacher's situation before and she could help her through it. She wanted to make sure Ms. Winchester knew she had options.

She didn't have to be abused anymore.

* * *

~Carter's POV~

Carter stared down at the picture she had lost long ago. She thought she would never see it again and now that she had it again, it made her so happy. It had been her favorite picture of her and Dean and she always kept it on her as a kid. She often kept it in front of her mythology books when she researched monsters for her brothers at all hours of the night. This picture reminded her of why she did what she did, so she could have a little more strength and keep researching.

The night she lost it now became clear to Carter. She was holding the picture in her hands one night when her brothers burst into the motel room and demanded her attention. She laid the picture down on the book and shut the cover without much thought. When she went back to look for it, it was several days later and since it wasn't stuck in the binding, the book didn't immediately flip to it when she opened it back up. And finding it again through the thin pages proved to be a difficult task. It had become lost to her.

Marissa's soft voice broke Carter's thoughts. She looked up at her student and noticed her concerned face. "Yeah, of course." She put the picture on her lap and turned towards her a little more.

Marissa took a deep breath before asking, "Are you okay?" When Carter's face changed to a questioned look, she continued, "I mean, we both know I saw you rubbing your ankle, and by the way you walked into class, I could tell it was broken or otherwise. And the bruises on your jaw are not that well-hidden. I've noticed you get cuts and bruises before, but I've just never said anything but I need to know," she took a quick breath and talking fast, "are you being abused? Because I can help you; I've been through this myself so I know what to do."

Not expecting her question, Carter let out a soft laugh. "Sweetheart, I'm not being abused, and I'm sorry that you went through that. But I'm okay, really." Carter looked into her student's eyes and gave her the most convincing look she could manufacture.

To Carter's credit, it wasn't entirely a lie. I mean, abuse? She wouldn't consider this abuse. But really, where does one draw the line? She did get beat senseless by a vampire, but Carter initiated that fight. The vampire was leaving Carter alone up until she entered its nest. (But the fact that the vampire wasn't leaving _everyone else_ alone is another story.) So, abuse? Maybe on a broad spectrum. But this case would appear to be more like effects-of-a-fight rather than abuse.

To someone else's eyes, Carter's life could be seen as one long line of endless abuse. And it appears one of those people doesn't want to sit by anymore and watch it happen.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to just push this away because you're scared. There's lots of people out there that can help; it doesn't have to be me," Marissa enforced, giving Carter an empathetic look.

Carter chuckled again. "Marissa, _I'm fine_." A lie quickly coming to her head, she said, "I sprained my ankle walking through the yard yesterday. Damn gopher holes are everywhere. And the bruise on my jaw? Got that from cutting some branches off my tree. I had one held back but it slipped from my hand and whacked me in the face." Carter looked away from Marissa for a moment and said, "Man, I had a rough day yesterday."

* * *

~Marissa's POV~

Taking in all this information, Marissa looked down. She couldn't believe she had been so wrong. Silently, she scolded her childhood detective side. It had always gotten her in trouble and has never broughten any good. It was time to hang that up for good.

"Oh," she relented and looked down at her hands on her lap. "I'm sorry I asked, I-"

Marissa's apology was interrupted by a shrill ringing. Immediately, Ms. Winchester reached down to her bag and pulled out a black smartphone. As she looked at the caller-ID, a look of slight happiness crossed her face. She turned to Marissa and apologized, "I'm sorry, but I have to take this."

Marissa's eyebrows rose, "Oh, no problem. I should go eat lunch anyway." She stood up from her seat and grabbed her bag, relieved to have the interruption. "I'll see you in class tomorrow; bye Ms. Winchester."

She started walking towards the door and her teacher replied back, "See ya tomorrow!" Marissa was at the door when Ms. Winchester answered the phone. She paused in the doorway when her greeting surprised her, "Hey, Dean. How'd it go?"

But sighing, Marissa forced herself out the door and down the hall. As much as she wanted to learn all about Carter's big brother, she was was done snooping in other people's business. The childhood detective in her was staying in the past for now on.

* * *

That's it! Thank you for reading and let me know what you think! I'll see you next time!


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